


Fall of the Empire

by ResonantEchoes



Category: Thundercats (2011)
Genre: Enjoy if you'd like, I had to rewrite the whole thing, It's really not going to be continued, This is the old version
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-20
Updated: 2013-08-20
Packaged: 2017-12-24 04:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 74,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/935064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ResonantEchoes/pseuds/ResonantEchoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[ THIS IS THE OLD VERSION ]. </p>
<p>Lion-O races to save the planet as an ancient evil, Mumm-Ra, stirs. Undertaking an epic journey, he rallies the remaining Cats to find the Power Stones. As if that weren't enough, a new creature appears, and in order to save Third Earth, Lion-O must help her remember her forgotten past. Slight AU, OC-centric, 2011 retell. Current Arc: Book of Omens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, A03 and Fanfiction readers. 
> 
> This is the old version of Fall of the Empire. I'm redoing the story over on fanfiction.net, and you can start reading the better version there under my new penname, WAR-Operative. 
> 
> Anyway, I just decided to post this here for posterity purposes. :3

Tears crawled down her cheeks, and pain continued to course through her body.

She tried to remember why. She reached into her mind, grasping at the empty memories, but frustration swamped through her as, like a fleeting bird, they constantly flitted out of her grasp. They hovered on the edge of oblivion, teasing her as they swung out over the ledge, threatening to be forgotten forever.

The prospect terrified her, the notion of not remembering anything at all. If she didn't keep trying to remember, she was going to forget everything. She continued shambling forward as she inspected her mind, attempting to find some kind of answer. Her feet were calloused and sore, filthy bandages wrapped around them and serving as impromptu sandals.

Her feet were cracked, swollen, and bloody, and just remembering their discomfort caused her entire body to flare up in a harsh jolt of agony.

A memory darted in front of her, and she reached up, grabbing the tail end of it-

_Screams bombarded her. The sickening scent of overwhelming copper, and the harsh cries of the dying. Tears streamed down her face as fear and desperation clogged up her throat.  
_  
" _T-This isn't happening._ " _A sound escaped from her, a combination of a sob and a hysterical laugh._

". . . Isn't happening. . ."

_"S-Stop it. Stop it!_ "

"Stop. . ."

_Golden eyes locked onto her, and that sound escaped her again, a disbelieving laugh. Her heart felt like it was going to grind to a halt in her chest, and she backed up, hitting a wall, eyes wide with horror._

_"Why are you doing this? Please. Please stop."_

". . . Please stop."  
 _  
A flash of silver, and she screamed, finally unleashing the full brunt of her fear and terror, a blade coming down to strike_ -

A noisy crash sounded to her right, and she flinched, ears ringing. The memory darted out of her grasp, and she almost made a sound of exasperation as it joined the others in a cloud of swirling emotions and events by the cliff. Somebody brushed against her, rushing to the sound of the noise, and she stumbled, arms pinwheeling for balance - bandages. She looked at her arms, finding more bandages on them - her arms were covered in them, caked with mud and filth and dried blood.

A memory darted at her, slamming into her. She remembered greenery rushing by her as she ran, air burning in her throat, stomach churning, the hot sting of blood running down her skin. She hadn't stopped running for days, it had seemed. A driving need had propelled her, forcing her to run faster, not letting her rest, she'd had to. . . _What? What was I supposed to do?_

She stopped in the middle of the busy street, staring at her bandaged hands, and the memory left her. More frustration swirled up inside of her. She tried to get a firmer grasp on that memory, tried to understand what she'd been running to, what she had to find - it had been a matter of life and death-

"Move it!" A harsh voice barked, and heavy hands shoved into her, throwing her body forward.

Her knees jarred into the hard-packed dirt that made up the streets, and the pain that flared through her made her lose her train of thought. She heard someone make a curious noise, and then a small gasp of surprise. She craned her neck back and found the dog that had pushed her took a step back in shock.

"The Rot! It's got the Rot!"

The animals in the busy street stopped and stared, noise silencing instantly, fear rippling through the crowd. They regarded the cloaked female as though she were a freak. They suspected she had the Rot, a disease that made an animal lose their fur from their body, almost as bad as leprosy in the old days. . .

_How did I know that?_

She stared at her white, fur-free, bandage-clad arms. She had to get back up to her feet and start moving again. She pushed herself, forcing her body to stand on weak legs, and continued walking. It was a slow, drunken gait, and every animal parted around her, eyes watching her every movement.

Hushed whispers followed her every footstep, but eventually, she managed to silence them.

Her head began to throb, and her vision began to grow blurry around the edges. _I need to sleep._ That drive inside of her, telling her she had somewhere to be, that important thing she had to do, began to raise hell in her head. It demanded she continue.

She needed to keep going, even if he body broke and her heart stopped.

The hustle and bustle of the main alleys proved too noisy for her. Animals had begun to jostle her again, as she'd made it away from those that believed she had the Rot. The sights and sounds nearly overwhelmed her, so she limped over to a smaller alley, darker and quiet, and continued walking - until her left leg went numb. She stumbled, catching herself on a wall, and. . . Oh. . . Oh, it was cold. She pressed her cheek up against it, and it felt so _good_.

A fever began to burn inside of her, making that cold wall so much more appealing. She slid down, parting the heavy, dirty cloak so she could hug the wall, press every available inch of her skin to it. Strength fled her as she lost the will to stand, and that driving need inside of her was kicking and screaming, pounding in her head - but the overwhelming urge to sleep was too strong to ignore.

She heard a small rustle, and turned her head, groaning at the loss of the cold, and found a figure walking towards her, light silhouetting them. They approached, footsteps almost silent as they got closer.

As they drew nearer, she found that driving force inside of her began to ebb.

_Yes_ , it seemed to say _, you will take me where I need to go._

She closed her eyes then, openly willing to let the darkness overtake her. It promised her peace from the pain, and from the throbbing task of trying to regain lost memories.


	2. Prologue, II

Even as sleep embraced her, the pain and fever wracked her body.

She felt a pressure press against her forehead, and she flinched away from it, wanting nothing more than to rest in the darkness. The touch, however, refused to let her escape so easily, and brushed against her skin again. She found her eyes cracking open, as she wanted to inform whoever was touching her to _please_ , let her rest - and she was greeted with muted sunshine, filtering down through the canopy of a large tree.

A cool wind blew over her, and the leaves of the tree rustled soothingly. The grass she laid on waved against her, tickling where it touched the skin. It felt so good, this wind that kissed her feverish body, she sighed from the bliss of it. A blob leaned over her, and she turned her gaze to to the figure in her field of vision. The hand lifted and settled, sharp claws careful not to drag over her as he brushed hair away from her forehead.

Happiness bubbled inside of her as she looked at that mane of shocking red hair. It fell in spiky strands around his face, lending him a slightly boyish look. Inexplicably, however, tears began to well in her eyes, and she felt them dropping, sliding down the corners of her face. That happiness twisted inside of her, turning horribly bittersweet on her tongue. _I've. . . Wanted this moment. For so long._ She thought, _you have no idea how much I've fought to get back to you._

She tried to move her mouth, to say something, but her voice was silent.

Those clawed fingers brushed the tears out of her eyes, and she ached to wrap herself around him, hold him tightly, and sob for all she was worth.

He spoke, and she understood him. . . Only she didn't. Her mind tried to grasp his words, what they meant, but it slipped through her fingers like water. She tried harder, forcing her mind to concentrate, but the world around her jolted. She felt herself falling, body sinking into the grass.

_Don't leave me. Not yet._

She tried to cry out, to lift up a hand to grab onto him, but her body refused to move. The grass finally broke under her, and then she was sinking into the dark again, staring up into a sun-lit hole, that splash of red watching her fall. She wanted to go back. It was what she wanted more than anything in the world - her entire body ached for it.

The dark swallowed up that bright spot of light, and then she was alone again, feverish and hot. She felt herself laying against something soft, and it comforted her aching body. Her eyes opened a second time, and she found firelight dancing around her. The crackle of flames echoed around her, but she shied away from it, not liking the heat it was emitting. Something cool laid against her forehead, and she shivered in relief. Another person hovered in the air above her, hazy and indistinct.

He spoke, but she didn't understand him. It was a garbled mess.

She did not know this person. Dizziness stole through her, and she tried to move, only to find her body unresponsive. She had to get up, get away from him. She had somewhere to be, something very important to do. Clawed hands rested on her arms, stilling her movements, and the bitter taste of fear came to life on her tongue. She had to run away, escape while she still could-

"Shh," A soothing voice said calmly, tone pitched low and gentle, "There is nothing to fear here."

Words. Words she could understand.

The one holding her down stepped away, and somebody else approached her. The fear abated as a gentle, calloused hand pressed against her shoulder. She tried to speak, mouth opening, but her tongue was thick in her mouth, and her throat felt like cotton. She got the impression that the blob above her was smiling, and was proven right as she heard a chuckle a moment later.

"Sleep, child. We will care for you. Rest, and regain your strength."

As if a spell had been woven over her, her eyelids grew heavy and slipped shut.

The darkness that wound over her was more like a blanket instead of all-encompassing. She was awake, but she wasn't, stuck in a strange twilight of lucidness and sleep. She laid there, feeling the pain leaving her body, leeching out into nothingness. Time passed as she laid in the dark, and eventually, she found it boring to leave herself with her thoughts. She turned her attention to the sounds around her, enjoying the puzzle it posed to figure out what they were saying.

" _Light another torch_ ," One voice would say.

" _More bandages,_ " Another would continue.

" _The fever is finally breaking_." Said the oldest.

As if his words were magic, the heat creeping through her body dissipated entirely. She remained pleasantly asleep, and while the notion of being asleep for so long made her want to panic, she felt. . . A presence. The oldest voice remained by her side, and for some reason, it reassured her.

She turned her attention back to the world as she heard heavy footsteps, heavier than the owner of the old voice, and he carried a different voice. Much more gruff and commanding.

They exchanged words, but she couldn't make out their conversation, not entirely. It came to her in bits and pieces.

". . . no record of this species in our libraries, my king. Her presence troubles me. So much fear, and yet, under her turbulent emotions. . . I sense a great power."

 _Where? Where is this great power?_ Her mind was blank, her memories gone. She had no recollection of this power.

"Jaga, is this. . . _Creature_ a threat to Thundera?"

The old voice - Jaga - spoke again, but his words were quiet. She found curiosity rising inside of her, wanting to know what they were speaking of, but their conversation had grown hushed and quiet. Eventually, they grew silent, and the deep-voiced man walked away. Moments passed, and Jaga's footsteps grew closer, and she heard him chuckle.

"Now is not the time to wake, child. Sleep."

A hand laid over her eyes, and her lucidness vanished in an instant.

* * *

 

She felt better. So, _so_ much better.

The exhaustion in her muscles had vanished, and there was no pain. She opened her eyes, blinking as she tried to adjust to the light. She found herself looking at a stone ceiling, and as she examined the room, discovered it was made entirely of gray stone. Torches were set along the wall, and jutted out of the floor, casting a bright, cheery light to the room. Her arms shook as she pushed herself up into a sitting position to get a better look at the room around her.

Strange runes had been carved into the rock, and what they meant, she didn't know. She had a feeling they carried a weighted meaning, a hidden power, but she wasn't sure. That same feeling inside of her told her that they were friendly, and not to be feared. . . Here she was, inside of a stone room used for rituals of some kind, laying on some kind of cot, and she wasn't afraid.

_Why?_

Confusion picked at her, and she bit the inside of her cheek, trying to get a grip. She turned inward, searching for the memories.

She remembered stumbling through the streets, wracked with agony and crying, trying to remember, obeying some driving need inside of her. . .

But it was gone now.

Ice wrapped around her heart, and her stomach twisted into knots as she realized she couldn't remember anything. Those memories she'd been trying so hard to reach were now gone. They weren't swirling in a mist in her head, taunting her. They were. . . Completely. . . Gone.

Tears welled in her eyes, and a sob threatened to bubble up from her throat. She didn't want to cry anymore. She was tired of crying. But they remained there, threatening to drop. She lifted her hands and pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes, trying to stem the flow of tears before they could fall.

"It's alright, child. There is no need to cry."

She scrubbed at her eyes and turned her head to find Jaga standing there. He was a cat. A very old, withered cat. He had a beard hanging from his face, and a walking stick (that looked like a staff) held loosely in his hand. The clothes he wore were modest, but reminded her of royalty. And for some reason, she had a distinct impression that he was much stronger than his appearances led her to believe. She looked at him, relief piping through her. If Jaga were here, she could distract herself from the gaping void of her mind.

A small smile tugged at his lips as he approached her, and eventually came to stand beside the cot.

"Whatever danger that plagued you is now gone. You are safe here. I am Jaga - I've been tending to you while you were asleep."

". . . Safe here. . ." She murmured. She jumped at the sound of her voice, hoarse and raspy as it was. It sounded as though she had not used it for quite some time. And no other words came to her - like her memories, it was as though she'd forgotten how to speak. Jaga, however, seemed more than pleased. He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she accepted it readily.

If she couldn't be steady in the turmoil of her mind, she'd let somebody else hold her together for the time being.

"Yes. Now, can you tell me what your name is? What do you remember?"

"Remember. . ."

Nothing. She had no name. She had no memories, except for coming abruptly into her body as she'd walked through the streets, broken and bruised. Her eyes fell, and her heart dropped in her chest. Frustration welled inside of her, and she had to resist the urge to scrub at her eyes as more tears blurred her vision. God, how weak was she? Jaga gave her shoulder a light squeeze, and looked back up at him. He gave her a small chuckle, and for some reason, that seemed to put her at ease.

"Nothing worthwhile is given to a cat instantly. If it is important, it will come back in time. Now, let us get you something to eat and drink, shall we? You've been sleeping in this room for over five days now."

So long? It felt like the blink of an eye.

The prospect of walking daunted her, but she slid her shaking body to the side of the cot and gently tested her feet on the floor. It was warm, and now that her feet were healed up, it didn't hurt her in the slightest. A slight tremor reverberated through her muscles, but she remained solid otherwise. Pushing off the cot, she stood, and a thrill wove through her. She was standing. With no pain.

Her arms were free of bandages, and clean. All of her was free of the filth she'd been covered in.

Jaga placed a hand on the small of her back and urged her forward. She took a baby step, and then another, and as her confidence grew, so did her stride.

They emerged from the room and entered into a hallway peppered with open archways leading into rooms like the one she'd been occupying. Jaga guided her forward, and led the both of them into an open space were more cats were gathered. Some were dressed in white cloaks, and others without. Some were locked in combat, swords and staffs parrying off each other, others were running an obstacle course, and more still were bent over old scrolls and books. She expected them to look up at her, but none of them did, occupied with their tasks.

"We are the clerics of Thundera. I take prospective cats into my fold and teach them to unlock their potential. We all serve King Claudus, the current Lord of Thundera - and the ThunderCats."

She looked up at him, absolutely ravenous. None of it was ringing any bells inside of her mind, but she wanted more. He'd only whet her appetite for more information. She could remember this, she decided then, she would make new memories to replace the lost ones. Jaga seemed to understand, and he chuckled again, amused at her expression.

"Later, child. Let us get you something to eat."

Jaga guided her over to a long room, set aside for a mess hall. There, on a wooden table, laid a plate filled with food.

"Eat, and then we will continue to talk."

She nodded and sat down, and he turned, walking out of the room. For a moment she was gripped by the fear of being alone, but she pushed it aside. She was safe here. She just had to be patient and eat her food and then she'd be able to learn more again. . .

The food they'd given her had been bland, and she guessed it to be some kind of fruit, maybe. She'd made it her mission to eat it as slow as possible, not wanting to upset her stomach. . . But as soon as she'd taken a bite, her appetite had come alive with a ferocious jolt. She'd practically inhaled it.

Finished, she jumped up and searched for the cleric again. The cat seemed amused, but obliged her, and her ravenous appetite of the mind - and he walked her towards a heavy wooden door.

He pushed it open, and sunshine nearly blinded her. She walked with him out to what appeared to be a garden - and nearly gasped at the sight of it. It was breathtaking. Beautiful, exotic flowers and shrubs and tress were blossoming, scenting the air with a variety of perfumes.

"Thundera." She said, trying the word, rolling it off of her tongue. She was eager to learn these words. She wanted to learn every word possible. Jaga smiled.

"The private gardens. Here, my clerics and I grow most herbs we need to make medicinal supplies. We have learned to harness magic - but sometimes, nature can heal a body much better than any magic spell can."

"Heal. . . Body?"

Jaga nodded his head, hand resting on her back and pulling her deeper into the garden.

"Yes. The room you were in was designed to strengthen our magic, and your body's ability to heal itself."

Jaga guided her over to a balcony with a high stone railing. He was going to show her something.

She picked up her pace and latched onto the balcony, hands resting on sun-warmed stone. Her eyes went wide at the sight, and a view that even more beautiful than the garden greeted her.

"Thundera," Jaga said, "Houses many of the ThunderCats. There are many species in Third Earth, but none have a city quite like ours."

The city that stretched before her was beyond words. It sprawled along, dotted with buildings and tents and huts and statues. Jaga joined her side a moment later, staring out at the city with a fondness that she didn't quite understand. . . To the right, there was a great stone temple, shaped like a ferocious cat sitting on its haunches, just waiting to spring up and attack any who threatened it.

"The palace," Jaga informed her, following her gaze, "There resides King Claudus, and the royal family. It will not be long before you're introduced to them. Come along now, back to the cleric hall. We can sat a room up for you and get you settled in. You've only just awoken, and it would be unwise to push yourself."

She was reluctant to leave, as the sight of Thundera caused something to stir in her chest. A tickle started in the back of her mind, and she turned, grabbing Jaga's wrist. He looked at her, curious.

"ThunderCat." She said, looking at him. He nodded.

"Hu. . . Man," She said. More words, more speech came to her, "I am a human." Each word was pronounced carefully, unwilling to let herself stutter through them.

It was a victory. She smiled, unable to help herself, and Jaga's eyes clouded as he thought.

"I have never heard of this. . . Human species before. . . A mystery for me to consult our libraries about tonight. Come along now."

She let him lead her away from the balcony and into the garden again. She peeked over her shoulder at the vast city of Thundera, populated by the intriguing race of the ThunderCats, and allowed herself a small smile.

_ThunderCats and humans. . . What other things will I learn about in this city?_

* * *

 

Time passed remarkably quickly after that day. Each day, she would waken, eat, and then spend a vast majority of the day with Jaga, pouring over old textbooks and scrolls. He taught her more and more words, and like a dry sponge, she just soaked it all into herself. When she wasn't with Jaga, she was with the other clerics, watching as they preformed spells, and sometimes they even allowed her to help them study. She had grown comfortable and familiar with several of Jaga's apprentices - one in particular had taken a keen liking to her, as well.

She was seated with that cleric then, eagerly looking at the books he was reading.

Reading was easy. Speaking. . . Speaking was difficult.

She still had a tendency to repeat the words of others around her, and after consulting Jaga about her problem, he'd looked at her and had told her that the problem lied within herself. " _Only you can overcome this barrier you've placed before_ you." he'd told her. She honestly thought that Jaga was lying to her, because she'd been trying so _hard_ the past few days to overcome her speech hindrance. . .

"Hey," The cleric said, "You're looking at the wall."

She snapped herself out of her thoughts and looked at the cleric, an apologetic smile on her face. Sunda grinned back at her, golden eyes glittering in the light.

"I thought you were helping me study."

". . . Study." She agreed, and turned back to the books. Sunda, however, looked at her, and she stared back at him, book forgotten in her hands.

"You need a name," He said, "We can't just say, 'hey, human!' all the time, you know."

A name?

. . . It hadn't even occurred to her.

"An excellent proposition, Sunda," Jaga said, voice appearing from behind her. She turned, finding the old cleric standing above the both of them, "It seems, young human, that you have been without a name for far too long. I have also come to inform you that you will be properly introduced to King Claudus tomorrow. One cannot go before a king without a name."

She looked at Jaga, nervousness coiling in her gut. Oh. Oh dear. She didn't have a name - she couldn't remember one. And she needed a name to go before King Claudus, who, if the clerics' stories were to be believed, was a stern (yet just) king. How would he react to a human with no name?

Sunda chuckled at the look on her face, and she gave him a small frown in return. Jaga patted her shoulder, and then gestured to the garden.

"Take some time, child, and think. Do not choose a name rashly."

She got to her feet, and Sunda followed suit, cloak swallowing up his frame, golden helmet falling into place on his head. Jaga had assigned several clerics to be escorts for her, and the leopard had gladly taken up the mantle. He escorted her to the doorway leading outside, and as she entered the garden, she found a coolness spreading over the air. She'd been helping Sunda study for much longer than she'd anticipated, it seemed, as the sun was beginning to set over the horizon. She already felt overwhelmed enough as it was.

The task of picking out a name for herself?

Of meeting the king?

Sunda trailed along behind her at a respectful distance, as though understanding she needed some time to think this through on her own. She walked among the shrubs, hands trailing over the petals of exotic flowers, and allowed herself a small measure of peace. _I can't remember anything, I can't speak well, I'm going to be meeting the king tomorrow, and I have to pick a name for myself._

A cool breeze wafted over her, and she looked up, finding a large tree, leaves rustling in the wind. . . And a shocking mane of red hair.

She stared at him, and he stared back at her.

Her dream flashed through her mind again, and she was gripped with a strong sense of familiarity and that bittersweet feeling again. She blinked, absently wondering if a part of her was somehow prophetic. A red-haired ThunderCat was standing under a tree.

In the sun, the light probably filtered through its canopy, and the grass underneath it looked soft and inviting. She wasn't laying on it though, and he wasn't hovering over her - in fact, he looked quite surprised to see her as he laid eyes on her, a distance of ten feet or so separating them.

"Wow. A Wood Forger, in Thundera?" He examined her, blue eyes bright with curiosity, all the more striking as they were framed by spiky red hair.

"Human." She replied.

"You're a. . . Human? That's. . . I've never heard of that before. And I've heard a lot of strange stuff." He sounded slightly wistful as he said it, and she could tell there was more to his words than he let on.

She decided that she liked him in that moment. His face was bright, open and inviting, an although he wore armor on his body, as though preparing for a fight at any moment, she got the impression that this ThunderCat was somebody she could trust.

"Strange stuff?" She echoed.

"Yeah, I've got a hobby. . . Look, never mind about that. I'm Lion-O. . . You must be the person we're receiving tomorrow, right?" Lion-O asked.

She was confused for a moment, until Jaga's words came back to her. _Royal family_.

She was currently in the presence of a prince. She didn't know whether she should bow or do anything to honor his title, and she stood there, shell-shocked and scared that she'd just disrespected him. _What should I do? Oh, I've messed up, uh oh. . ._

A clawed hand extended to her, and she looked down at it. She blinked, confused and lost at the gesture.

"You. . . You shake it." He offered, sounding just as confused as she felt.

"Shake it?"

"Uh, yeah. You know. . . Handshake?"

She stared blankly at him.

"Handshake?"

At this, confusion wrinkled over his face, "Something wrong? You're just echoing everything I'm saying." He dropped his arm back down to his side.

Her eyes widened, and she felt a chord strike inside of her. That word. It was perfect. She didn't consider herself poetic by any means, but it just _fit_. She grinned, suddenly very giddy.

"Echo."

"Yeah, echo. Like when you train a crowot* to talk. It gets-"

"My name! My _name_ is Echo!"

Lion-O looked at her, lost, but she. . . Echo was beside herself. It fit. Her strange speech impediment (that she'd get over, even if it killed her), and how her mind was hollow and empty. . . Like an echo. The word - the _name_ \- was perfect for her.  
 _  
_"That's a strange name."

She had a feeling the entirety of herself could be described as ' _strange_.' Echo smiled at him, lifting a hand and holding it out into the air. Lion-O looked at her for a moment, as if trying to decipher her intentions, and then a smile came to life on his face, and he stuck his hand into her own.

"I guess life's no fun unless you find strange things once in a while."

For the first time since she'd woken up, Echo finally felt as though she'd finally found her bearings.

* * *

 

**Crow + parrot = crowot. Since everything in the ThunderCats universe is topsy-turvy, I decided why not throw some weird birds in there, too?

**Sunda is a Sunda Clouded Leopard. Just in case anybody's curious.


	3. Chapter 3

Her footsteps bounced off the walls, and with every step she took, she drew closer to the ornate, wooden door in front of her. Echo swallowed, trying to tamp down the nervousness that kept rising in her. Her hands were already shaking at her sides, and her stomach was churning at the thought of walking into that throne room. Last night she'd found herself tossing and turning, imagining every possible scenario that could go wrong.

Part of it stemmed from her worry that she'd _already_ done something wrong - the day before, in the garden, shortly after Lion-O had introduced himself, he'd taken off. He'd given her a short, " _Tomorrow!_ " before he'd run off, a ragged cloak under his arms.

Maybe Echo was worrying about it too much, reading into signs that weren't there, but it was the only thing she could think of. _This is only making me more nervous. . ._

She distracted herself, turning her attention to the palace around her. It was as grand on the outside as it was on the inside. Every surface seemed to be cleaned and polished daily, and although the door was drawing nearer, Echo found herself admiring many of the splendors that seemed to be stuffed into every nook and cranny. Portraits portraying epic battles and fallen heroes hung on the walls, crafted with care and honor. Large, open windows encouraged those outside of the palace to look in, to show they were welcome inside, and it helped project an aura of amiableness between royalty and citizens.

She caught her reflection in the mirror and stopped. Casting a look at the door, she turned to the mirror, then the door, and the mirror again. . . The mirror won. _Just another once-over_. She wanted to look presentable before the king and royal family. Hopefully she could do some damage control for the way she'd treated Lion-O earlier. . .

A few hastened steps, and she was in front of the mirror, hands smoothing out imaginary wrinkles in the new clothes Jaga had given her. A long-sleeved shirt, and layered over that, a sleeveless vest with a high collar that extended down to fall to her knees. Another panel fell behind her - some of the other clerics wore similar garb, and Sunda had informed her that it was a traditional style of clothing, meant to allow the legs plenty of room to move for fighting. Since the panels exposed her legs, she wore pants underneath, and they'd given her the ThunderCat equivalent of shoes, which she gladly wore.

Echo, nodding her head at the outfit, examined her features. She resembled a ThunderCat only in body, with arms, legs, and a head. . . But she lacked fur. Her eyes, she had come to find, were a bright, clear blue, rather like Lion-O's. Her hair, however. . . It was white as the clouds in the sky and fell to her waist.

Sunda had been kind enough to brush her hair and pull it into a tight braid, and regaled her with tales of four young kitten sisters and only one older brother to tame all their hair. She smiled at the thought of the cleric managing to wrestle a young cat to the floor so he could pull her hair into working order.

He'd told her that white was a color to be proud of, as it symbolized honesty and integrity (and a great many other things), but Echo just couldn't shake the feeling that the color was wrong for her somehow.

She glanced up, the doorway to the throne room looming not very far away, and then dragged in a deep breath of air and breathed out slowly, attempting to calm her nerves again.

"My name is Echo," She said, slowly, "And I am a human. It is nice to meet you."

After sleep had eluded her, she'd practiced in her room, saying the words over and over again. After last night, she had found that if she spoke slowly, very slowly, she was capable of forming complete sentences. For the most part.

But nice. . . There had to be a better word.

". . . An honor. An honor to meet you."

There, that sounded better.

Giving her reflection a nod, Echo turned to the door, and before she could lose her nerve, approached. It opened before she had a chance to knock, and a servant inclined his head, gesturing for her to step inside. She hesitated, but the memory of Sunda smiling at her, patting her on the shoulder and telling her, " _You'll be okay, Echo_ ," gave her enough courage to step inside. She straightened her spine as much as she was able, and tried to project an aura of confidence she definitely didn't feel.

_If Sunda believes I can do this, I can do this._

The thought gave her strength, and her nerves began to abate. She took long, confident strides into the room, and was taken aback by the opulence on display. It was just as ornately built as the rest of the palace, albeit the roof was much higher, and drapes and tapestries hung across the walls, lending the atmosphere a hushed and private tone. At the end of the room, a circular alcove had been cut into the stone, and Jaga stood beside three thrones, two of which were occupied.

She stopped in the middle of the room, a respectable distance before the thrones, and found herself face to face, finally, with King Claudus. He appeared to be an older version of Lion-O, but seemed be much more rough around the edges. Where Lion-O's face invited conversation, King Claudus's was cloaked under a veil of seriousness. Echo could tell just by how he sat that, as she'd been told, he was a very, very stern person. To the right, there sat a tiger. He appeared as regal in bearing as his father, although his face appeared slightly more open and inviting than the King's. The tiger's brown eyes regarded her with a guarded curiosity. The third throne - presumably for Lion-O - was empty.

_Where is he?_

"King Claudus," Jaga spoke, dragging Echo from her thoughts, "I present Echo, the human that has been in my care for these past few weeks. Echo, this is King Claudus and his son, Prince Tygra."

Echo did not know how foreign diplomats received the ThunderCat king, but she bowed her head, attempting to convey respect.

"My name is Echo. It is an honor to meet you." She spoke slowly, enunciating each word with care, and her voice was strong, but had shaken at the end. Much better than she'd hoped for.

The sharp gaze of King Claudus examined her, peering critically at the girl as he absorbed every inch of her strange, alien body, and a long moment passed before he answered.

"You are this. . . _Human_. . . Jaga has informed me of. My cleric also tells me that you have lost your memories. Is this true?"

Echo paused, sensing a strong familiarity at his voice, and she tried to put a finger on where she'd heard it before. She had. She was absolutely positive of it. . . But where? The King narrowed his gaze on her, and she realized she had hesitated a moment too long.

"Yes," She said, quietly, "I cannot remember anything."

_Except for blood, pain, and the need to do something. Only I don't know what._

"I see. As you can imagine, we are curious as to what a. . . human truly is. You resemble a race known as the Wood Forger, however-"

"Sorry sorry _sorry!_ " A voice yelled, and Echo watched in surprise as Lion-O stumbled out from the left side of the throne room and bolted to his chair, seating himself quick as a flash. Tygra turned his head to give Lion-O an exasperated stare, and King Claudus glared at his son, his guard momentarily dropping to show Echo that he was simmering with anger, but then the shield fell back into place and he schooled his face into impassiveness.

Lion-O shot his father a sheepish smile, and then straightened in his chair and tried to look as prince-like as he could. As the King and Tygra turned to look at her again, she found Lion-O flashing her a bright smile, and if she was reading it right, it looked a little apologetic. For some reason, this put Echo at ease slightly, and she returned her attention back to the King.

"-however," He continued, as though he hadn't been interrupted, "Wood Forgers have not set foot in Thundera for quite some time. We welcome all species, so long as their intentions are peaceful. I offer you refuge in my city, so you may have a safe place to stay and regain your memories. You will be under Jaga's care during the duration of your stay."

"T-Thank you." She said, and her cheeks flushed as she stuttered.

It came to her, then. She'd heard Claudus's voice before - back when she'd been trapped in the throes of a fever. He was the one Jaga had been speaking to in hushed tones. She didn't know why it felt important, but it did, for some reason.

"ThunderCats are suspicious of new species," Claudus continued, "So it will be wise for you to claim yourself as a Wood Forger during your time here."

"But. . . But. . ." The flush deepened, and Echo found herself fiddling with her fingers, so she clasped them behind her back to stop herself. The words were on her tongue, but she couldn't say them, and as the silence stretched on, Echo found herself floundering, just on the verge of sinking, and oh, King Claudus was staring at her, and so was Tygra and she'd screwed up, she knew she would-

"Yes?"

"I-I'm n-not-"

"Calm yourself, Echo," Jaga said gently, "Take a moment to gather your thoughts."

She did, breathing in deeply once, and then twice.

"What if I tell them I am, but they don't believe me?" She asked, "I don't think. . . I am a good liar."

"We can tell." Tygra murmured, and for a moment, Echo thought she saw King Claudus give the briefest of amused smiles. The King lifted his hand, and a servant approached her, holding a pendant attached to a gold chain.

"This crest signifies that you are under my patronage," Claudus said, "As long as you wear it, the citizens of my city will know you are not to be questioned."

The servant helped her put on the pendant, which was a red jewel, set by a golden ring where the runes of the ThunderCat language were inscribed. Echo touched it, lifting it up slightly, and then turned back to the King and the princes. Echo couldn't help herself as she gave them all a broad smile, bowed her head, and said: "I will. . . Graciously accept your offer, King Claudus."

The King nodded his head, seeming to be pleased with his answer, and then rose from his chair, both of the princes following suit.

"You are dismissed."

She bowed her head again, and turned on her heel, leaving the throne room. Echo was nearly beside herself, muscles trembling as relief poured through her. She felt lighter than air in that moment, and as soon as the door closed behind her, a shaky sigh left her. She'd done it. She'd survived the throne room.

She glanced down at the crest she bore now, and her fingers touched the jewel hanging at her throat. She just had to remember to claim to be a Wood Forger now. While she was excited to show Sunda the new pendant hanging around her throat, Echo found herself turning to leave the palace, feet automatically steering her to the gardens. Her favorite spot, peaceful and relaxing. She could do her own little celebratory dance in the privacy of the shrubs.

The garden was just in sight when she heard the yell.

"Hey! Wait!"

She turned, and there Lion-O was, jogging towards her. He reached her in seconds, another apologetic smile on his face.

"I didn't mean to take off so quickly last night. Or to be late today, but I had some business to take care of in town, and my father doesn't like me leaving the palace walls without a bodyguard. But I attract too much attention with one, so. . ." He trailed off, realizing he was rambling, and Echo smiled.

Maybe one day she'd be to the point where she could ramble aimlessly. She was proud she could just form coherent sentences at the moment.

"Echo, right?" He asked.

She nodded.

"You have anything planned for the day?"

"No?"

This seemed to please him, as he grinned, eyes flashing happily, "Well, let me give you a tour."

Echo blinked in surprise as he grabbed her wrist, and tugged her along behind him. Echo thought about protesting for a moment, but another second passed, and she gave him. A wistful smile came to life on her face as she fell into step with him, and Lion-O began to show her the palace grounds, his voice filling the air.

* * *

 

A month passed in this fashion.

Echo and Lion-O had quickly become friends, and when the prince wasn't busy with his royal duties (which, Echo had learned, he normally shirked anyway), he always searched for her, and together, they would pass the day. She'd found that the prince had a strong fondness for "technology" and had shown her his secret stash of items that he routinely picked apart, cleaned, and put back together again. Echo had thought that some of it had looked familiar, but it was a fleeting notion, there one moment and gone the next.

Still, it was something Lion-O loved to talk about, and he'd shown her and explained what every component did (or what he thought it did), and Echo loved to see the excited gleam in his eye as he talked about his passion.

Her interactions with Lion-O's brother, however, had been limited at best. Claudus had not been lying when he'd told her that ThunderCats were suspicious of new species. Tygra always regarded her with a curiosity to his eyes, but it was as though he didn't trust her. . . Which Echo could do nothing about.

Once, he'd caught the two of them embroiled in Lion-O's technology collection, and the only thing he'd done was roll his eyes and say, "oh, great, he's infected _you_ too." And he'd left. Where Lion-O openly seemed to dislike his royal lineage, Tygra seemed to love it. The two brothers were polar opposites.

Echo, she was pleased to think, had gotten much better at speaking. She could hold normal conversations, and words came much more easily to her now. As embarrassing as it was, however, she would forget a word or stutter if she became flustered. These occurrences were growing fewer and far between, however, something she was incredibly grateful for.

But her memories. . . Not a single one had come back to her. Both Jaga _and_ Sunda had reassured her that they would come back with time, she only had to be patient. . . But it was more than frustrating.

That was how she found herself, standing on the balcony overlooking Thundera, fingers absently rolling the necklace she wore in her hands. For over a month now, she'd been asking herself countless questions. Who was she really? Why had she stumbled into Thundera, bloody and broken? Why did things look so familiar to her? She frowned as she stared out at Thundera, sun warm, but pleasantly so, and a gentle wind picked up, blowing over her. Thundera always had beautiful weather, it seemed.

"Admiring the view?" Came Lion-O's voice, and Echo turned, a wistful smile on her face.

"Not really. . . It is pretty though." She said, looking down at the city again.

". . . Thinking about your past?" Lion-O offered, and Echo sighed. He joined her by the balcony, resting his arms on the stone.

"Yeah. It's just so _frustrating._ It's been over two months since I was found in Thundera, and I can't remember anything. . . Kind of."

"Kind of?"

"Did anybody tell you how I was found?"

Lion-O shook his head, and Echo relayed to him everything that had happened that day. She didn't omit anything. She described the pain, the tears, the misty confusion that had clouded her mind. She told him about the one memory she'd seen, the despair she'd felt, the scream of primal fear that had left her. His expression turned thoughtful as she finished.

". . . I was told Jaga sent his clerics in the city to find me - he had a vision about me. Lucky they did, too, because I was a day away from death's door."

"I can see why you're frustrated. . . That isn't a lot to go off of at all."

She groaned into her hands, agreeing with him completely. When would she start remembering, already? She wanted to know why she'd been in that scene of death and blood, and the thing that had attacked her, with glowing golden eyes. . . Lion-O tapped her arm, and she looked up at him. He was smiling.

"Come on, I know something that'll help get your mind off things."

He straightened and began walking, and Echo followed. He led her past the palace and into the private courtyards, which were used for palace guards to spar. Currently they were empty, and Echo stared at Lion-O with confusion.

"I don't get how this'll get my mind off things."

"You've been cooped up in the palace for about two months, right? All you ever do is read books or walk around the palace grounds - trust me! Whenever I can't get my mind off something, I come here and do a little sword practice. It helps me think. And also," He said, his voice dipping conspiratorially, "If you learn to defend yourself, I'll take you into the city."

A spark of excitement lit up inside of her.

"Really?" She asked, unable to hide the anticipation in her voice.

Lion-O winked at her.

"Really. In here."

They ducked into the armory, and Echo was taken aback by the weapons that were mounted and sheathed. The walls were covered with them, and what they couldn't handle, racks set up in the room could. Echo wasn't ashamed to say that her mouth had dropped open at the sharp blades mixed in with the blunted ones. Lion-O was amused at this, and playfully batted her arm, which she returned.

"I've been practicing with a sword since the day I was born," He declared, voice filling with pride, "So I'm best with swordplay. But I'm handy with a few other things too. Take a look around, and see if anything speaks to you."

"Humble, are we?" Echo said, a smile on her face as she moved deeper into the room, fingers trailing over the various weaponry that stretched around her. Staffs, staves, flails, nunchucks, swords. . . The armory had a little bit of everything it seemed. Most of them she rejected outright, and she picked up a staff, weighing it in her hands, imagining herself spinning it expertly as some of the other clerics did. . . And she saw them.

Echo replaced the staff and ran her hands over the sheathes, feeling. . . Familiarity course through her. A shiver ran through her as she traced the sheathes up to the hilts of the swords, and she found a part of her ached to take them up in her hands, to hold them. She grabbed both of the weapons off the shelf, holding them up to the light.

"Are you sure?" Lion-O asked, "I think you should start out with something blunt instead. Wouldn't want you to gash yourself."

The sheathes were hooked up to a harness that would allow the wearer to throw it over the back or their hips, easily reachable and drawable. Before she knew what she was doing, she'd thrown the harness over her back, fingers moving mechanically, somehow knowing how to tighten the straps. A single blade felt wrong. It was too long, too heavy. But these blades, both of medium length, two halves of the same whole. . . It was perfect.

She drew them, hands somehow knowing what to do, and when she looked at the crafted metal, another tremor ran through her.

"Echo?" Lion-O asked, a tinge of concern in his voice.

Echo turned to him, excitement building in her.

"I think. . . I think I know how to use these, Lion-O!"

He looked at her, uncertainty filling him, "Really? You sure?"

"There's only one way to find out."

He looked at the sparring range and nodded. Before he left, he picked up a small box filled with clay discs, and Echo felt the giddiness inside of her beginning to spread. She stepped into the dirt ring, hands twirling the swords in hands. Shadows of doubt wove through her, and she bit the inside of her cheek as the sunlight reflected off the blade. Did she really know how to use the swords? She hoped so. She really hoped she wasn't chasing ghosts, hoping for memories that weren't there and she was jumping the-

"Lion-O, you've got. . . What are you two doing?"

Tygra stepped from the hallway bordering the sparring range, and the tiger looked at his brother, and then to Echo, and his eyes lit up in interest. Then an amused smile sprang to life on his face.

"You sure you should be playing with pointy things?"

Irritation burned in Echo, and she was just about to open her mouth, but Lion-O beat her to it.

"Don't you have something else to do, Tygra?"

"And see this spectacular failure? No, I think I'll stick around for a bit." He said, amusement turning into a diluted form of arrogance. Echo shot him a halfhearted glare, but already his words watered the weeds of doubt in her mind.

With just Lion-O, she could handle it. He wouldn't judge her if she failed. But Tygra? He'd probably laugh at her.

Lion-O stood, a clay disc in his hands.

"Don't listen to my _brother_ , Echo," Lion-O said, shooting a glare at Tygra (which the tiger only returned with a broader smile), "Just relax. I'm going to throw this at you. I promise it doesn't really hurt if it hits you. Duck out of the way if you can, though, alright?"

She nodded, body suddenly feeling numb, her legs shaking. Tygra seemed to notice, and he was stifling a chuckle behind his hand. Lion-O gave a small snarl, and the chuckling stopped. The lion cocked back his hand, and gave her a long look. If his eyes could speak, she swore he'd be saying, _it's okay. You can do this. Nothing bad will happen, I promise_.

"Here it comes!"

And he threw it. The disc made a high-pitched whistling as it flew through the air, and Echo stood there, suddenly feeling frozen in place. The swords felt like heavy rocks in her hands, and she watched, eyes wide, as the disc approached. She was going to get hit, she _knew_ it, she shouldn't have even bothered to pick up the swords at all - the disc was almost at her now, and Lion-O was calling at her to duck, and Tygra was probably laughing already-

Her body moved. Her hands changed grip on the hilts, and even though her brain didn't know what to do, her body just _knew_.

One sword sliced up, and the other was prepped for the next blow. She heard a loud _shing_ , and looked down to find the disc split neatly in two, flopping over uselessly in the grass. Echo stared at the remains, feeling as though she'd just run a mile, chest heaving as she breathed in amazement. A current of excitement ran through her, making every nerve ending feel alive.

She knew how to use swords.

She knew how to use _swords!_

She turned back to Lion-O, who looked just as surprised as she did, but he beamed at her. Tygra appeared equally as shocked, eyes wide as he stared at her.

"Looks like you were right." Lion-O said.

"Again." Echo said, almost stuttering as she forced the word out, "Let's do it again."

Tygra crossed his arms over his chest, "Why don't you step it up a notch and use the machine?" He pointed to a contraption that looked a crossbow, only it had slots for the discs. Lion-O protested, but Echo nodded her head.

"You sure?"

"I can do it."

He looked like he wanted to protest again, but bit his tongue, and wheeled the machine into place a moment later. It took a minute, but he got the discs loaded, and stood, hand on the lever.

"Ready?"

She nodded.

He hesitated, but pulled the lever a moment later.

Discs flew at her. This time, she found herself spreading her feet apart slightly, and instead of waiting, her body reacted. She bolted forward, and then she was dancing, fluid as liquid, swords flashing in the light as she struck. Discs fell, some shattered, others neatly split, and her head felt light as she dropped and rolled, tucking nicely before a disc could slam into her, and she came up on her knees-

_. . . smoke lay in a thick cloud in the air around her._

_"Damn," She hissed, trying to peer into the thick veil covering the area, ears straining to hear where the enemy was hiding, "Where are you?"_

_It popped out, a distorted mass, and surprise flooded through her. A blade came down in an arc, and she let loose a sharp cry of effort as she brought her own up to parry the blow. This wasn't good, she was outmatched, and she knew it when her opponent threw her blades away and a foot came spinning at her head-_

Not today. I can't let you best me.

 _And then her mind_ flexed _, and power flooded through her. The foot stopped just an inch away from her temple, and her opponent looked shell-shocked, and then fear filtered into his face. A dark satisfaction wove through her as she smiled, and her mind flexed again, and he was flying, body rushing backwards to tumble over the ground_ -

Echo blinked, and she was back in the sparring ring, Lion-O and Tygra looking at her with expressions of utter amazement on their faces.

"How did you-?" Tygra asked, at a loss for words.

 _That was a memory_ , Echo realized, and then felt something hot and wet on her lip. She dropped the sword she was holding, a hand coming up to her face - and came away wet with blood. She stared at the harsh red that contrasted her white skin, and in the span of a heartbeat, her head felt like it was being hit, over and over. Her hand numbly dropped the second sword as she curled in on herself, fingers digging into her temple as she let loose a groan, teeth grit so hard she swore her jaw was going to crack.

"Echo?! Echo!"

His voice sounded hazy and faraway. Echo tried to answer, but she couldn't. The pain kept escalating, and it felt like her brain was going to explode in her skull.

" _Echo!_ "

Then she was on the grass, writhing, hands digging into her temples so hard she thought she was going to start bleeding because she'd broken the skin, and _still_ , the pain kept growing, until she was screaming, begging for some kind of relief.

" _Cleric! Get Jaga!_ "

Tygra was commanding somebody, but with every second that passed, Echo just found herself consumed by the agony that kept escalating.

Right as it felt like her entire body was going to come undone, she lost consciousness, darkness swallowing her.

* * *

 

Echo woke with the stale taste of blood on her tongue.

She winced as she pushed herself into a sitting position, and felt sharp pains on both sides of her head. It came back to her in a rush, and she almost gasped as she remembered the overwhelming _agony_ , and she expected it to rise up like a cobra and strike her where she sat, but as the seconds passed. . . Nothing happened. There wasn't any pain at all. She reached up to touch the sides of her head, and found small bandages there. She vaguely remembered her hands, clutching at the sides of her head, and she absently realized she must have broken the skin in her attempts to stop the pain. . .

"You are awake."

Jaga entered her room, and Echo turned to him, curiosity and fear and questions boiling in her.

"What happened, Jaga?" She asked, unable to keep her voice from trembling, "What was that? It was the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life."

The cleric seated himself on a chair, setting his staff against the wall.

"Tell me what happened, Echo." He said.

So she did. She explained everything, from her frustration at being unable to remember her memories this morning, to the familiarity of the swords she'd held. She recounted her fear and uncertainty, and then the way the world around her had faded and another had replaced it. It ended as she elaborated on the pain, and the blood. As she finished, she sat there, looking at the cleric with wide eyes, hands gripping the cot underneath her. Jaga was silent, and she swallowed as he let out a small "hm."

"What?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"It appears that, through your memory, you unlocked a power dwelling within you, Echo."

She remembered laying on the cot in the healing room, racked with pain and fever, and Jaga's words, " _. . . yet, under her turbulent emotions. . . I sense a great power_."

Was this the power he was speaking of? In her memory, she'd somehow stopped her enemy from kicking her, and he'd flown backwards, like he'd been blasted with a powerful weapon. She looked to Jaga in confusion, shaking her head.

"I don't understand. What did I do?"

"Lion-O has told me that a clay disc was about to strike you in the head, and it stopped in the air, held as if by some invisible force. A moment later, it shattered."

Shock poured through her. _I did that?_

"But how could I. . .?"

"Using magic, clerics are capable of many things. The ability to move an object with one's mind, however. . . Is not an easy task. Do you recall ever having used this gift before?"

She shook her head.

"I see. Do not feel frightened, Echo. Many creatures on Third Earth are capable of wielding magic in some way. With time, and practice, you can learn to control it."

"But. . . The pain. . ."

Just remembering it brought a shiver to her spine.

Jaga got to his feet, collected his staff, and gave her a pat on her shoulder, "If I had to guess, I would say that you have not used this ability in a long time. Like a muscle, it must be exercised. When you grow stronger, your tolerance for such a feat will be greater. I will work with you on this. . . For now, let's focus on the present. You have a visitor."

"Huh?"

Jaga was leaving the room, however, and the next cat that entered had a mane of red hair, and a very concerned expression on his face. Upon seeing her sitting up and awake, however, the rabid concern calmed. Lion-O came to stand by the side of her cot, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"Don't ever do that again. It sounded like somebody ran you through with a sword."

His words took her by surprise. She expected him to be regarding her in a new light, like she was a freak of nature. She was the only human in Thundera, currently claiming to be a Wood Forger, and she had amnesia. To top it all off, apparently she could now move things with her mind. And here Lion-O was, standing by her bedside, not looking at all fazed.

"You're not. . . Freaked out?" She asked, biting the inside of her cheek. She wanted to say 'afraid,' but she hadn't been able to say the word. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she waited for his reaction, and was greeted with confusion.

"No, why would I be?"

Relief flooded through her, and she let out a shaky laugh.

"Lion-O. . . You're the best friend I've had."

He grinned at her, blue eyes gleaming.

"I try. I think it's cool - do you have any idea how many screws I've lost taking apart technology? That would come in handy. And you've gained a new admirer, too." Sarcasm dripped from his voice at the end of his sentence, and Echo looked at him curiously.

"I do?"

"Oh, yeah. Tygra didn't know how to take it at first, but he really loves challenges in combat. Imagine what you could do. I think he's already planning on being your sparring partner as much as he can."

All of what he was saying, even his bitter words about Tygra, made Echo feel more than relieved. She felt. . . she felt _accepted_. She'd known that clerics had been capable of using the elements, and even placing spells and curses on objects and people, but none of them had ever moved anything with their mind before. Echo found a smile twitching up the corners of her lips as Lion-O looked down at her and smiled back.

As long as Lion-O was her friend, she decided, then everything would turn out okay.


	4. Sword of Omens, I

Her pen sketched over the surface of the paper.

Different doodles were scattered everywhere - a knife, a vial of poison, a hammer. . . Dates and times were added, but nothing seemed entirely certain. Echo continued to draw, penning down everything she'd dreamed of the night before. Embarrassingly enough, sketches of Lion-O were also present. He was constant in her dreams as well, but Echo could honestly never figure out why. Since her arrival in Thundera six months ago, the dreams hadn't been constant. Roughly four months ago, however, they'd started with a vengeance, plaguing her nightly.

She lifted the pen and tapped it against her lips, staring thoughtfully down at the paper. Her initial entrance had been rather rocky, but everything had clicked shortly after that.

The cats had been more than kind to her throughout her stay, even if she hadn't produced anything of value. During the six months she'd been residing under King Claudus's patronage, she had been studying, looking into the vast library Thundera offered. When she wasn't buried in the texts, she was in daily training sessions with Jaga, developing her "telekinesis," as Echo had come to nickname it. When she wasn't doing _that,_ she was in the sparring arena, crossing swords with Tygra. Over the past half of a year, she'd found her skills with the sword had become honed and refined.

The rest of every waking moment was spent with Lion-O.

He took her into secret forays into the city, discussed technology with her, and tried to spend as much time with her as he was able. They'd become incredibly close, and Echo cherished their relationship. It had been the one thing that kept her anchored.

She still couldn't remember anything about her past, and while it frustrated her to no end, she was glad that Lion-O provided her a pleasant distraction.

"Marow!"

She turned, finding Snarf at the windowsill, a rope in his mouth. A mischievous smile came to life on her lips, and Echo got to her feet and took the rope. Within moments, she was gone, rope tied securely around a table leg, her journal open on the table.

The ink from her pen bled on the open pages, dribbling onto her most recent sketch. Decayed bandages, rotting with age and moth-eaten holes surrounding a cowled hood. . .

* * *

 

"My back hurts because of you."

"Oh, be quiet. It's your fault you got a rope that snapped."

Echo was walking beside Lion-O, and both of them were covered in dirty, ragged cloaks. They were trekking through the streets of the slums, and Echo stifled a chuckle as she remembered an hour prior. Lion-O had supplied a rope for her to climb out of the library. . . Only it had broken while she'd been climbing down. She'd fallen right on top of Lion-O, knocking the wind out of the poor lion. _It was pretty funny. . . Just glad he got me out of there. Can't stand bodyguards._ Beside her, Lion-O sighed, which only made her let out a snort. So much for keeping it quiet.

Her mirth, however, faded quickly as the streets grew dirtier, the houses more ramshackle and rundown, and the patrons surly and dark. Echo drew her cloak tightly around herself, feeling uneasy. Lion-O carried himself straighter, projecting an aura that he was not to be trifled with, and Snarf ran right by their feet, shooting them both a distraught look. Echo shared the sentiment - even though Thundera was a safe place, this part of the slums was renown for slave trading, illegal gambling, and fights of all kinds.

"Wish he didn't live so far out," Echo said quietly, "It'd be easier to visit him. Not to mention safer. . ."

"Relax, Echo," Lion-O said, voice calm, "You always think we're gonna get killed whenever we come to this part of town."

"Fair assumption. . ."

Echo frowned, desperately wishing she had her swords mounted on her back. She'd feel so much safer then. . . This area of the slums was where she'd first come to Thundera, and she'd vowed that she'd never be stuck in that situation again - broken, alone, and defenseless. A shiver crawled down her spine, and she turned, finding a thug-like dog approaching an elderly merchant running a humble food stand. She could see the fear in his eyes, and the way his body trembled as he suppressed the need to run. Echo noticed Lion-O turning his head, realizing she was no longer beside him, and he stopped, watching the scene unfolding before them.

The thug picked up the merchant and threw him into his display. It crumpled under his weight, and several fruits rolled away. The dog laid there, whimpering, and Echo grit her teeth at the sight, anger welling in her. She knew how it felt. To be stuck in the middle of danger, to be choking on her fear. . .

"That's right!" The dog barked, malice in his eyes, "Pay up or get hurt!"

Echo took a step forward, about to throw herself at him, but a small tugging at the bottom of her cloak stopped her. Snarf was biting it, pulling backward, and making small noises in the back of his throat.

"Nobody deserves to be treated like that." Lion-O murmured.

"If that were you, Snarf, wouldn't you want Lion-O to help you?"

The thug's ears picked up, and he turned, lips peeling back in a snarl.

"What're you lookin' at?" He barked, advancing on them.

"Whiskers." Lion-O hissed.

Snarf ducked under Echo's cloak, emitting a low growl, back arched, hair standing on end. The human stood close to Lion-O, unmoving as the gang surrounded them. The dogs, noticing her arms, looked at her and laughed.

"What, you got the Rot? Why're your arms bare?"

"Yeah, look, it's a no-fur!"

The insults did nothing to rile her. Echo glared at them from under the lip of her hood, wishing they would go away before things escalated, but it wasn't meant to be. A dog approached her, wrapping his hand in her cloak and pulling, intent on ripping it off her.

"Let's look at you, no-fur!"

Echo lifted her arm and slapped his hand away before moving to shove his shoulder. She reached out with her mind, grabbed his ankle, and pulled. The dog stumbled backward and fell, expression morphing from shock to rage. Behind her, Echo felt Lion-O stiffen, a growl rumbling in his chest. _This isn't going to end well._ Lion-O didn't take anybody insulting those he called his friends lightly.

"Why, you-!"

The leader, however, placed a hand on the dog's shoulder, stopping him, and extended the other to Lion-O.

"I'm feeling charitable today," He said, voice running thick as oil, "You pay me, and nobody gets hurt - twice as much. In the slums, everyone's a dog." He waved his fingers, demanding compensation for Echo's actions.

Echo wanted to tell Lion-O it wasn't worth it to get worked up, but quicker than she could open her mouth, the lion had snatched up the dog's hand and used his momentum to throw him on the ground.

"You're the one who's gonna pay." Lion-O snarled.

The gang rushed them, and the fight that erupted was sudden. Echo moved as two of the dogs ran towards her, and ducked out of the way as a knife flashed. She evaded the punches meant to knock her down, and, taking an opening, swept the feet out from under a dog that tried to claw her across the face.

"You're gonna regret that!" His partner snapped.

The heel of her palm to his jaw was her reply, followed by a vicious roundhouse. _Thanks for teaching me hand-to-hand, Tygra_ , she thought, dusting her hands.

She gasped as meaty arms wrapped around her, but it died as the leader began to crush her throat. She couldn't breathe, and she wriggled in his hold, trying to free herself, but a knife pressed against her side, making Echo still. Lion-O let loose a nasty snarl, one that had Echo's hair standing on end, but the leader only huffed a laugh.

"Now I'm gonna get you like a-"

There came a harsh _thwack_ , and the dog gave a yelp as he fell to the ground.

Echo stumbled, coughing as she rubbed her throat, and Lion-O snatched her wrist and jerked her behind him, intent on protecting her from the new threat. They both turned to find another cat standing there, wearing a cloak pulled low over her figure. The staff she held shrank, and Echo frowned. _A cleric? She doesn't look familiar though. . ._ The cleric looked over the both of them, and an amused smile came to life on her face as she regarded Echo.

"You should be more aware of your surroundings." She chided, and Echo cast her eyes down, slightly embarrassed.

"Rookie mistake." She agreed.

"Not that _I_ needed it," He said, and Echo rolled her eyes at the friendly barb, "But who can we thank for the assist?" He relaxed as he spoke, recognizing an ally in another cat.

Echo watched in interest as the cleric shed her hood, and was taken aback. She was _beautiful_. Feminine, and soft, but with each dainty curve of her face and body, she exuded twice as much power and strength. _I'm certain you're a cleric now. But I haven't met you and I've spent six months in the cleric hall. . ._

"Cheetara." She introduced herself.

Lion-O looked awed. Echo cold understand why, but she had to stifle a snicker of laughter. His eyes were wide, mouth slightly open - a love-struck cub. Noticing her guffaw, he shook his head.

"Hello-" He coughed into his hand, pitching his voice lower, "Hello."

Echo thought she was going to explode. She was biting her hand in an effort to keep quiet, and she fought the urge to just let it all out. Lion-O, of course, responded by cuffing her on the back of her head. She let out a small noise - not like it had actually hurt - but rubbed at the spot anyway and gave Lion-O a glower. _Not my fault you're acting like an idiot_.

"I'm sure the king would not be happy to learn that his son was wrestling alley cats." Her voice carried quite clearly over the small alley they were in, and the dogs startled, jumping up as though they'd been shocked with a live wire.

"He's the prince?!"

"Scatter!"

In milliseconds, they were gone, leaving dust in their wake. Probably what Cheetara had intended.

"Neither," She continued, "Should the prince be happy that he almost let his companion become seriously hurt."

Lion-O scratched the back of his head, and Echo felt guilt swell inside of her too. She shouldn't have let the dog get his paws on her in the first place. . .

"What's so important that you'd risk your life coming down here?" Cheetara asked, curiosity rising in her voice.

"That depends. . ." Lion-O mumbled.

Echo smiled, reaching forward to grab Lion-O's arm. Then she turned her grin to the cleric.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"As long as it's interesting." Cheetara said, tucking her small staff in the waistband of her outfit.

They straightened their cloaks back up, and Echo fell into step beside Lion-O, gesturing for Cheetara to follow.

"It is."

* * *

 

She winced.

And then flinched again.

With every strike, Lion-O seemed to buckle just a little bit more.

". . . who first defeated Mumm-Ra!" King Claudus was saying, striking harder with every word. Lion-O was losing ground, just barely managing to parry his father's blows. Echo stood at the side of the room, watching the proceedings. . . Until Tygra managed to catch her eye.

A cocky smile spread over his face as he gestured outside, where the sun was clearly past noon. . . The time Lion-O's ceremony had been scheduled.

" _Late_." He mouthed at her.

She decided sticking out her tongue at him was the best comeback.

"It was the ThunderCats who brought order to a world of warring animals! And it is now the ThunderCats who are strong enough to maintain this fragile peace!" King Claudus's voice resonated in the air around them, and the sword crackled with barely suppressed power, lightning bolts skittering off of its surface. Echo watched, stunned and awed by the power he wielded with grace.

To think, such an artifact of power was held by the ThunderCats. . .

Lion-O was forced to his knees, and Claudus impaled the sword on the ground, uncaring of ruining the grandeur of the floor. Lightning, bursting with energy, exploded around the room, and Echo flinched away as it brushed over her, expecting it to hurt, but. . . It felt cool. Despite the heat it radiated, it seemed to brush against her gently. As though it knew she was a friend.

Getting to his feet, the prince approached the sword, appearing unsteady, and Echo bit her lip and wished him strength. She didn't miss that his hand was shaking as he wrapped it around the hilt of the sword. _Have faith in yourself, Lion-O. You can do this_ , Echo thought.

He swung the blade at imaginary enemies, face growing tense with concentration, and energy began to crackle around the blade, lighting coming to life on its surface again.

"That's it!" Claudus said in approval, "Concentrate!"

Lion-O lifted the sword, an intense look of concentration on his face, and pulled it close to his face. The hilt began to extend, curling around the jewel set into its cross guard, and Echo felt an unseen power thrum through her. She just barely managed to gasp as the world vibrated around her-

And she wasn't there anymore. She was standing in the dark, a deep sense of urgency coursing through her, as though something were desperately trying to warn her, only it couldn't form the words to do so. Pictures flooded her mind in a noisy, chaotic jumble. It all ground to a screeching halt as yellow eyes snapped open, reflected on a dark, shadowy blade that promised blood and death. It was dark and evil and so, so cold. It terrified Echo, down to the deepest part of her body.

And then it ended, and she was back in the throne room.

 _What just happened?_ She wondered frantically, _it was just like my dreams. . ._ Her heart was pounding and her hands felt clammy and cold. She looked around, trying to see if anybody else had seen what she had, but the only person who looked fearful was Lion-O, who was staring down at Omens.

"Lion-O, why did you stop?" Claudus demanded, face clouding.

Lion-O seemed visibly startled, as though he hadn't realized his father had been standing right next to him.

"I. . . I saw something."

Jaga took a few steps closer to the prince, looking calm and collected. Claudus, however, crossed his arms over his chest.

"Tell us, Lion-O." The head cleric invited.

Echo took one look at Lion-O and knew that he didn't want to say anything. Suspicion crawled into her, and it only grew as her friend looked around frantically, searching for a way out, and he met Echo's gaze. They looked at each other, and just for a moment, time seemed to stop. She saw the fear in his eyes, and she just _knew_.

_You saw the same thing I did._

But then he jerked his eyes up, looking past her, to the window.

"Um. . . That!" He said triumphantly, relief almost palpable as he ran by her to the window, "Ha. Me- _ow!_ "

She turned, watching as two female servants walked by, and filtered female laughter greeted her. Echo could hear the false tone. She could see the line of tension in his shoulders, and he looked almost twitchy. Claudus, however, was not pleased by this in the slightest. He brushed past her, hand moving her aside as he stormed by, yanking the sword out of Lion-O's hands.

"The sword is ready, Lion-O, but _you_ are not."

Lion-O stared at his father, face shattering. Echo felt her heart ache for him.

Jaga materialized at her side, and this time, it was Echo who jumped. The cleric looked down at her, an eyebrow raised in question, and Echo shot him the best smile she could manage at the moment, even though she felt like breaking down and shivering. The cleric turned his attention to Lion-O, whose defenses came up in record timing.

"What? I didn't see anything! Cat's honor!"

"And I did not say anything." Jaga replied.

He turned, leaving the room right behind Tygra and King Claudus. _He knows Lion-O saw something. That_ I _saw something. But what was it?_

She sighed quietly, closing her eyes. The door to the throne room shut with an ominous bang, leaving Echo and Lion-O alone.

"Whiskers! Why couldn't I just _say_ it?" Lion-O buried his face in his hands, and Echo moved to stand next to him, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Lion-O. I know."

He stood like that a moment longer before he sighed and turned to look at her.

"You saw it too, didn't you, Echo?"

At this, Echo dropped her eyes, and her hand.

"Yeah. I think I did."

"What was it? I was in this dark place, and there was this horrible. . . _thing_." He said, a small quiver in his voice. A moment of silence stretched between them.

"I don't know. I saw it, too. There was a sword like Omens, but. . . Evil."

As silence followed, Echo debated bringing up her journal, with the drawings and dates and times. . . But decided against it. It was too much, too soon. She and Lion-O needed some time to wade through it all before she threw more wood on the fire. The two of them moved over to the steps leading up to the thrones and sat together, idly throwing ideas back and forth, but Echo knew they weren't going to get anywhere with it.

Time passed as they tried anyway, glad to be left alone to each other and their thoughts.

A horn sounded, however, shattering the quiet.

 _An attack?_ She thought as Lion-O jumped to his feet.

"No second horn - not an attack. Let's go find out."

Echo followed him as they wound their way out of the palace and outside, where a balcony allowed for a viewing of the barren land surrounding Thundera. In the distance, she could make out a giant rock, pulled by a horde of animals. King Claudus and Tygra were already moving, and as Tygra passed her, Echo realized he looked downright gleeful. A bright smile was on his face as he and the king headed down a flight of stairs, where the stables were located.

Echo followed, pausing at the top of the stairs and watching as Lion-O mounted one of the steeds. Claudus and Tygra disappeared through the gates, rushing out of the city to meet whoever was approaching. Lion-O paused, noticing her.

"Want to come?"

There wasn't enough room on that bird for the both of them, and the thought of being shoved up against Lion-O made her cheeks flush.

"Go on ahead, there's something I want to do."

He nodded, and kicking the bird's side with his heels, was off, joining his father and brother. Echo watched him leave, one hand idly playing with the pendant hanging around her neck. She needed to get to her journal and look over it, see if there might be any clues. She also wanted to add this. . . Vision to it. She turned on her heel, heading to the cleric hall, fingers already itching with the need to start writing.

* * *

 

"Grune?" She asked.

Sunda, who was taking meticulous care to polish his headpiece (as though he hadn't scrubbed the heck out of it before the ceremony), nodded his head.

"Yes. The general has been gone from the city for many years. He was sent on a task from the king to find the Book of Omens."

"I've read about that. But the texts all offer conflicting information - a few things remain the same, though. They often say the Book knows everything. Any question you have, the Book will answer."

Sunda looked at her from the corner of his eye, a smirk on his lips.

"You read those books far too much, Echo. . . Unfortunately, that's all I know about the Book, myself."

 _I wonder if I could find it,_ Echo thought, _and ask it about my past. If it's as powerful as the legends say. . ._

"There's going to be a feast tonight," Sunda continued, gaining her attention again, "You're more than welcome to attend the games. . . But I fear you will have to enjoy my company. Lion-O will be dining with the King and Grune."

"Eating dinner with _you_?" She said, wrinkling her nose, "The mere thought disgusts me."

Sunda laughed, placing his headpiece onto his neatly-folded cloak and stored them neatly on a shelf, "I'm glad we are in agreement!"

"As am I. You cats are such _dreadful_ creatures."

"That we are. . . I heard you met Cheetara."

Echo's memory turned to the market place, remembering the scuffle the cleric had helped them through. She nodded.

"Yeah. Why haven't I seen her around before? She's an excellent fighter."

Sunda turned, pinning her with a look, and crossed her arms over his chest.

"She's been away, training, but that's not important. You got into a fight?"

_Busted._

"Just a scuffle. It was minor, really."

The leopard let out an irritated huff, and his expression grew cloudy.

"Echo," He said, "You know you can't wander outside of the palace - it's a security risk. More so, what if somebody learned of your abilities? People would try to take advantage of you."

Thundera had come to learn that an embassy of the Wood Forger race was residing in the palace, but she'd been "restricted" from leaving the palace walls. At her last count, Sunda had foiled twenty-three of her attempts to go into the city with Lion-O. She'd had to come up with some incredibly creative ways to escape the watchful eyes of the leopard.

"I know. . ." She said, face falling, "But I just can't help myself, Sunda. Thundera is such a beautiful place! And Lion-O keeps an eye on me, too. . ."

She expected him to chide her. Instead, a hand came down on her head, and the leopard let out a heavy sigh. Echo blinked up at him in surprise - especially when he ruffled her hair.

"That crestfallen expression gets me every time. Listen, Echo - I consider you a close friend. I worry about you. If anything happened to you, I'd never be able to forgive myself."

Echo smiled, feeling her guilt slowly melt away, but it quickly turned to confusion as he grabbed a well-worn cloak, something that wouldn't identify him as a cleric.

"Where are you going?"

" _We_ ," He corrected, "You have wanderlust. And since there just so happens to be a party in town, I will escort you, madam. Come along. Maybe if I chaperone, I can get it out of your system."

Echo laughed, giving him a cheeky wink.

"Not likely."

"I'd be worried if you said otherwise."

The cleric walked with her out of the hall and into the streets of Thundera.

Almost immediately, Echo could see why Sunda had decided to chaperone her. The sounds of the celebration drew her to it like a fly to honey, and Sunda had had to stop her from outright sprinting to the first vendor stand she'd laid her eyes on.

The festivities were infectious, and as Sunda guided her through the streets, she'd happily lost herself in the party. With the cleric by her side, she walked among the people of Thundera without a cloak, and nobody so much as batted an eyelash. Many of the cats had greeted her warmly, and others had told her to invite more Wood Forgers to see the splendor of Thunderian parties. She drank it all in, her body alive with the thrumming energy that ran through the entirety of the city.

Finally, it was enough to make her completely forget about the vision she'd seen earlier in the day.

Sunda had even purchased her a headband, claiming she needed something to help her tame her messy hair. She hadn't been able to stop touching it since he'd helped her dawn it. Her fingers kept straying to where it laid, and the cleric rolled his eyes.

"Keep doing that, and it's going to fall off." He warned.

She snatched her hands away and beamed at him.

"Thank you. It's beautiful."

"You needed something tame that hair. I used to buy them all the time for my sisters." The cleric said, placing a hand on her back to guide her through the streets. They were making their way to the game dome, which was alive with the cheers of thousands.

"Will I ever meet them?" She asked.

"They don't live here." He answered.

Echo was going to turn and ask him what that meant, but something caught her eye. On the far side of the party, there were stockades, and inside of them, two lizards were imprisoned. She stopped walking, staring at the sight before her. She knew that the cats and the lizards had never been friendly to one another - many tomes in the library spoke of their wars - but it just looked so wrong. Here the ThunderCats were, partying and having fun, while two lizards were forced to kneel, right on the fringes of the party.

Sunda grabbed her arm, and Echo turned back to the cleric.

"No, Echo. You may be under King Claudus's patronage, but speaking with the lizards would strip you of that. Cats would assume the worst."

He started walking again, pulling her along, and Echo reluctantly fell into step beside him, curiosity rising inside of her.

"I don't understand. I've read the stories, but maybe-"

"Leave it alone, Echo." His tone was flat, but she could sense anger under his words. Echo bit her lip, fearing she'd hurt him in some manner, and the cleric took a breath before he looked at her, "I'm sorry. Maybe one day I'll explain it to you. Just forget about it for now, okay? Let's go to the games."

The game dome loomed in front of them, and he ushered her inside, detaching from the people walking in to the main entrance and into a small hallway set to the side. It was hard to forget what she'd seen, but Echo tried her best. She focused instead on the ringing of the bell she heard, and the roar of the crowd. She'd never actually witnessed the games, but she'd read about them.

They arrived in a private viewing area set close to the water, reserved for clerics. Several of them were seated inside, enjoying food set out, and they greeted each other warmly. Sunda seated himself, and Echo sat beside him, inviting herself to eat.

"Lion-O and Tygra are playing now." One of the clerics informed them.

"Really? It's rare for the princes to participate." Sunda murmured.

The two were already going at it, racing each other to reach the bell first. She winced as Tygra landed a vicious kick to Lion-O, sending him toppling down, but the prince dug his claws into the thick roots that sprawled the arena and gained his ground. Echo groaned as she saw rage rippling across Lion-O's face, and common sense flew out the window as he spend forward, intent on ripping Tygra to shreds.

"I understand the strategy behind it, but Tygra really needs to stop saying things to make Lion-O angry. It stays with him."

"Ah, but that is Lion-O's burden to bear," Sunda replied, ribbing his elbow into Echo's arm, "The prince needs to learn how to stop letting Tygra's words get the better of him."

She winced, feeling her cheek ache as Tygra landed a solid punch across Lion-O's face, and the lion fell, splashing into the water. Tygra, celebrating his victory, jumped on the bell and swung it with his body, a triumphant grin on his face. From the small distance they were seated, she could see the crestfallen expression on Lion-O's face as he swam, dejected, back to shore. Sunda patted her on the shoulder.

"Come on now, get something to eat. After the games are done, I'll release you - so long as you promise not to go in the city alone, okay?"

Popping a grape in her mouth, Echo nodded.

* * *

 

"You _saw_ that?! Whiskers! I wish you hadn't been there!" Lion-O groaned.

Echo patted him on the shoulder as they walked, a sympathetic expression on her face.

"It's okay, Lion-O. I'll try to forget it if it makes you feel better."

"Please do." He grumbled.

The two were walking just on the outskirts of the palace, skirting around the edge of the party.

"I won't forget it."

Echo turned, and Tygra beamed as Lion-O groaned again. He joined them, throwing an arm around his brother's shoulder.

"Another victory for Prince Tygra. . . You really need to start catching up, brother." He snickered as Lion-O batted his shoulder, and the three fell into stride together. She let out a small, pent-up breath of air, glad when she didn't see any underlying anger in Lion-O's composure. The young prince had seemingly forgiven his older brother, as far as Echo could see.

"Just imagine what would happen if I competed," Echo said, "I'd lose within a minute."

"I can see it now: you, jumping, and then turning to the crowd and saying, _I can't reach!_ "

"I'm not that short!"

She _was_ , by Thunderian standards. Most ThunderCats were easily six feet fall, give or take some females. Standing at five five, she thought she was tall. . . Enough.

"I don't think you'd be able to reach the bell."

" _Lion-O_!" Echo said, whirling on her friend.

It was too late, however, as Tygra and Lion-O both lost themselves to a nasty fit of the giggles, and Echo stood there, trying to look offended, but the smile on her face said otherwise. Tygra gave a sigh as the laughter died down, and he squeezed her shoulder.

"Don't worry, you're tall enough to me."

"Oh, thanks," Echo griped, and heard the muted sound of yelling - but it was laced with anger. She looked for the source of the sound, and noticed cats were gathered in a thick mob. "Hey. . . What's happening over there?"

It took her a moment, but when the crowd shifted, she saw it. The lizards she'd seen earlier with Sunda were surrounded by angry Cats. Lion-O started running, but Tygra latched onto his shoulder.

"We can't let that happen!" Lion-O protested.

"They're our greatest enemy, Lion-O," Tygra warned, "The cats and lizards have always been at war."

"Well, maybe we don't need to be."

Ducking out from under Tygra's hand, Echo watched as Lion-O started to push his way through the crowd. She agreed with him, wholeheartedly - and despite the fact that the cats and lizards had always fought each other, prisoners deserved a measure of respect. Being held, helpless and afraid, was enough.

She took off after Lion-O, leaving Tygra to bite out a muted, "Whiskers!"

"These barbarians deserve death!" A man from the mob yelled. Lion-O had shoved his way to stand in front of the lizards.

She joined him, using a cat's shoulder as a springboard, and then her power to help herself into the air. Flipping, she landed in a crouch, feet sliding apart and hands clenching into fists as she fell into a defensive stance.

"I'm not gonna let you lay a paw on them! Stand back! Or do you not obey your prince?" She said, projecting her voice as much as she was able.

"What would _you_ know, Wood Forger? You have not fought a war with the lizards! Are you siding with the-"

Tygra bodily shoved the cat into the dirt before joining Lion-O, and Echo didn't miss the way Lion-O's face brightened. _He wants Tygra to stand by his side. It means a lot to him._

"You better rethink your words, Cat. You are offending a patron of the King."

"Ha! All of us? Against you three?"

The wind rustled, and Echo felt another presence beside her - a staff extended, and her lips quirked slightly. Cheetara stood beside her.

"Make that four." The cleric said calmly.

"Twice in a single day. . . Now I know you're following me." Lion-O quipped.

"Yeah. Right into trouble - again."

But then somebody in the mob let out a war cry, and the cats were advancing. Echo was busy, then, as she ducked and wove under flailing limbs and angry, wild punches. They were weak, but stood strong in numbers, and Echo found she had to use her mind to stop a torch that was inches away from hitting her in the face. She had to use her power a lot, then, to help make a cat stumble, and bodily shove a few of them away. Her head began to throb under the stress of it, and she wanted to groan. The crack of Tygra's whip announced he was getting serious, and through it all, she could see a golden flash as Cheetara weaved her way through the crowd, staff making muted _thwack_ -ing noises.

" _Lion-O!_ "

Every person in the fight froze as King Claudus's voice echoed over the impromptu battlefield. A cat had managed to grab the back of her tunic, but released her as though he'd been stung. The mob stepped away from the fighters, and King Claudus bore down on them, several guards trailing behind him.

"Explain yourself! Are you protecting _lizards?!_ " Claudus sounded a second away from exploding in rage, and Echo shrunk away from it. His eyes locked onto her and he glared, as though assuming she'd been the one to start the whole mess.

"No," Lion-O said, dragging the king's attention back to himself, "I'm protecting _us_. From turning into the very coldblooded creatures we fear. These lizards did nothing and should be released!"

" _Release_ them?" Claudus stood before his son, anger rippling over his frame, "Don't be foolish. As Lord of the ThunderCats, it is my duty to keep my people safe. And one day, it will be yours."

Echo applauded Lion-O as he stood in front of his father, refusing to back down. Had that been her, she would have turned into a stuttering, gibbering mess. King Claudus was downright _terrifying_ when he was angry.

"You wanted me to start acting like a king, well, this is it. And I don't think the only way to rule is with a sword. Maybe we'd have less trouble with the lizards if we weren't always repressing them." His words were strong, and Echo felt her heart warm at them.

_You will make a great king, Lion-O._

It was almost comical as she discovered the cats gathered were looking back and forth from Claudus to Lion-O, eyes almost moving in synch. It almost made her want to laugh, but she tamped down on it. Wrong time, and most definitely the wrong place.

To her utter shock, however, King Claudus nodded, and gestured for his guards to release the lizards.

"Get out of here!" One of the guards prodded them, jabbing them with the blunted end of their spears.

"Consider this an act of goodwill between the species," Claudus said, albeit he sounded hardly pleased to speak the words, "Perhaps now you might show some goodwill of your own. . . And take your responsibilities as prince more seriously." He turned his head, giving Lion-O a hard look, and in response, Lion-O nodded.

From there, the crowd dispersed. Echo groaned as she looked down at her knuckles - bruises were beginning to form. _At this rate, Sunda's going to be glued to my side._

King Claudus ordered them all back to the palace, and the guards pushed Echo into the entourage before she could object. Not like she wanted to, anyway, with her head throbbing the way it was. She'd overused her abilities, and was desperately craving some sleep, which was the best remedy for making the pain go away. The trip back to the palace was a blur, and once she was inside of the palace walls, she detached herself from the group, headed to the cleric hall.

Her vision was a little blurry around the edges, but she paused when she saw Snarf running. Frowning, she followed the small creature, wondering what he could be up to at this hour in the evening.

"Snarf?" She asked.

"Marow!"

Lion-O's pet was in front of the palace entrance, where a huge rock structure laid. She'd seen it earlier in the day, when Grune had first arrived at the palace, but she hadn't had a chance to observe it up close. Echo stepped up close to it, admiring the bright yellow crystals that jutted out of the rock. It was beautiful, and she was certain that whatever was carved from the crystals would be even more so.

Snarf, however, seemed entirely happy to stick his tongue out and make faces in the reflective surface. Echo rolled her eyes she crouched down, spreading her arms wide.

"Come on, Snarf. Let's go to bed. I'm kidnapping you tonight."

Snarf looked torn, as though he wanted to play with the crystal some more, but let out another happy, 'marow!' and then ran at her, jumping into her arms. Echo straightened, giving a groan as the action made her head pound, and she started back to the cleric hall.

Snarf settled in her arms happily, quite used to her "kidnapping" him and spending the night in her room.

The small creature did, however, wriggle in her grasp to settle on her shoulder and stare at the rock.

He watched expectantly, but when nothing happened, he settled in Echo's arms.

"What were you looking at, anyway?" She murmured, fingers running down his spine.

Snarf made a face, spreading his lips wide, but it looked entirely comical. Echo huffed a laugh as she made her way back to her room.

Snarf, however, made it a point to visit the crystal again the next day.

Maybe he'd see the face pressing up against the other side again.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Echo was in a rotten mood.

And the day had been going along so well, too.

She stood in the gardens before Sunda, and she wondered how it had all boiled down to this. She'd been having a fantastic day until the leopard had to decided to engage her. And, quite frankly, Echo was willing to go there. He wanted a fight? She would give him a fight. A full night's worth of sleep had done her wonders, and she had set to just relax the entire day away to recoup from overusing her telekinesis the day before.

She'd been out in the garden, sketching in her journal, when Sunda had come upon her, raging with the wrath of a thousand fiery suns. She crossed her arms over her chest as he glared down at her. He'd been ranting for a good five minutes now.

" _. . . outside the castle walls!_ You are not _protected!_ What you did yesterday could have gotten you stripped of protection from the King!"

"I'm big enough to make my own choices, Sunda," Echo snapped, returning his glare with a fiery one of her own, "My friend, the _prince_ , went in front of an angry mob to defend helpless animals. I wasn't going to stand by idly, twiddling my thumbs!"

" _You_ are a _guest_ , Echo!" Sunda yelled, voice echoing around the garden, "You hold _no_ political power here!"

" _Fine!_ "

She reached up and snatched the pendant, and, completely amazed at her own actions, threw it down at the cleric's feet. Sunda snarled, hands clenching into fists at his sides.

" _Echo-_ "

"No! _No!_ Not anymore, you overprotective, _stupid Cat!_ I'm tired of this! I don't need to be coddled like some child! I am _sick_ of you!"

Without letting Sunda get in a word edgewise, Echo spun on her heel and stalked away from him. it felt strange, not having the weight of the pendant around her neck, but she was more than determined to live without it. She grit her teeth against hundreds of nasty insults that threatened to pour from her mouth. Sunda didn't say anything to stop her, which suited her just fine. She made it away from the cleric grounds and was stomping her way out of the palace when she ran into another Cat.

Just her luck.

"Ah! So you are this. . . _human_ I have heard so much about!"

Echo whirled around, just ready to deliver a piece of her mind to whoever had spoken to her, but she paused when she realized it was Grune. She tamped down on her anger as the general walked over to her, emerging from one of the many hallways of the palace. She did her best to try and relax her tensed muscles and, it almost pained her to do it, put a smile on her face. It was hard, though. Echo was in _no_ mood to talk with anybody.

"General Grune. It is an honor to meet you."

He laughed, stopping a few feet from her. Echo finally got her first good look at the General, and what an eyeful it was. In terms of muscles, he certainly beat Lion-O and Tygra, and he probably had more than the King. He was wearing brilliantly-polished blue armor, and his body was pockmarked by small scars. The General, as the accounts in the Thunderian libraries suggested, had seen his fair share of battles. His most notable trait was his lack of a second fang - on any other cat, one fang would have looked ridiculous. . . But on Grune, it seemed to add to his battle-scarred physique.

Echo bowed, placing an arm over her chest as he received the general formally. Grune only laughed and waved a hand airily.

"Let us dispense of the pleasantries. I find - as a soldier - I have no need of them. So tell me, are the stories true? Do you truly have no recollection of your past?"

"Yes, but how did you-"

"The King and I share close counsel, human. There are no secrets between us. He has even spoken of a power you wield that has not been seen in Thundera before."

Echo paused, something in her mind wriggling about in warning. A strange, hungry gleam had entered the General's eye, and Echo didn't like it, not one bit. It was enough to make her pause, and hesitate in answering him. A moment later, however, that gleam was gone. . . And it left Echo wondering if she'd just been imagining it. She'd let their silence stretch on a beat too long, and she shook her head.

"Ah, yes, the stories are true. . . Excuse me, General, but I have some business to attend to outside of the palace today, so I must be going."

"I didn't mean to hold you. Though, perhaps you would delight an old soldier and show me your abilities later?"

"Yes, I will."

_Not ever._

The thought, seemingly springing out of nowhere, startled Echo. That boiling anger was still swirling down, deep and roiling, inside of her, and she knew she had to get out of there before she said something awful. Being in his presence was beginning to make her skin crawl, which she also associated with the fight she'd just had with Sunda. She _really_ had to get out of there. She gave a hasty bow again before jogging down to the lower palace grounds, and finding the object of her desires.

A passage stood before her, carved out into the wall and leading down into the darkness. It led straight into the main streets of Thundera. Echo stopped in front of it, staring down the darkened passageway, momentarily pausing. She'd never willingly gone into the city alone before. Lion-O had always accompanied her.

" _You need to be protected, Echo!_ " Sunda's voice floated into her mind.

And just like that, she shot a glare over her shoulder, in the vague direction of the cleric hall.

 _I'll do whatever I damn well_ please.

She ducked into the hallway, disappearing from sight moments later.

* * *

 

She chewed her bottom lip as she stared at the journal in her hands, fingers idly turning the pages. She'd bought a small pencil from a vendor, and for a vast majority of the day, she'd been sketching in her journal. It had been a good way for her to finally dispel most of her anger, and it helped keep her mind off of the embarrassment that was sure to ensue if she went back to the palace.

King Claudus would not take kindly to her behavior, especially after last night. She had the impression that the King hadn't liked what he'd done last night with the lizards. At all.

For the past few hours, Echo had been beating herself with a mental stick, cursing herself for her rashness. She had been stupid. Really, really stupid. How could she have done that? She knew she was going to have one hell of a time apologizing to Sunda, too. She knew he had her best interests at heart, but completely sheltering her only made her all the more antsy to escape into the city. A sigh left her as she closed her eyes.

"Now I finally know how you feel, Lion-O."

She'd been subjected to this treatment for only six months. He'd been under the palace's watchful eye for seventeen years.

Another ragged sigh left her, and Echo opened her eyes and turned her attention back to her diary. In an attempt to stop beating herself up over her actions earlier, she turned her attention to her most recent sketches - the dream she'd had last night.

She'd stood in front of the sun as it had begun to set, and had watched as the growing shadows had begun to lift and take shape, malevolent red eyes shimmering in the dark. Right as the sun had been about to disappear behind the horizon, it had exploded. Beautiful arcs of fire had spread, leaving smoking trails in their wake before landing all over Thundera.

She'd woken as five of the red-eyed shadows had turned onto two, small silhouettes of Cats, hazy weapons raised to the pair.

In her dream, they'd appeared to be kittens. Or so she assumed. Echo wasn't really sure - nothing had been quite visible. She hadn't been able to make heads or tails of anything, but trying to figure it all out had made an excellent distraction from the events earlier that day.

So she'd secreted herself inside of an alley, journal opened on her lap, and had whittled away most of the day trying to dissect her dreams. Without the aid of the Thunderian library, however, it was a fruitless effort. There was a tome she consulted frequently on symbols within dreams, and without it. . .

Leaning her head back against the wall, Echo closed the journal and turned her eyes to the sky. The sun was beginning to set. She knew she'd have to go back and pay for her sins sometime, and she might as well get it over with now instead of delaying the process any longer.

She got to her feet and edged her way out of the alley, reentering the small crowds perusing the streets at twilight. She walked among the Cats, easily weaving her way through the parse crowd, but as she turned herself back to the way to the palace, her feet slowed, and then stopped altogether. Something tickled in the back of her mind, a nagging itch that refused to be let go. She peered around her, looking for the source of her discomfort, but couldn't readily come up with an answer. As she turned, however, a deep-throated horn sounded in the air. She looked up towards the walls surrounding Thundera in confusion.

"Another visitor?" A cat said, just a few feet away from her.

"So soon?"

Silence settled over the city like a suffocating blanket as the Cats all stopped and stared at Thundera's outer walls.

And then another horn sounded.

In her chest, her heart clenched. _An attack. Somebody's waging an attack on Thundera._ Echo dashed to the side of the street as quickly as she could, trying her best to ignore the screams and frantic running as Cats pushed and jostled each other, concerned for their safety and others. It was hard not to get sucked into it, to run with them and seek shelter in one of the underground hideaways, and wait for the attack to blow over.

That itch, however, kept escalating, demanding she remain outside.

There was something she needed to do.

It pulsed through her - strong, demanding, and refusing to be ignored.

And so Echo started running. That need inside of her acted like a compass, directing her down, lower, towards the bottom levels of Thundera. She ran against the flow of Cats, and ignored the guards as they appeared in the streets and began to shepherd the masses into the underground shelters as much as they were able. Echo reached behind her instinctively, feeling for her sword sheathes, and bit out a low curse when she realized she wasn't armed. Something else, a dark feeling inside of her, told her she'd need to be by the end of the night.

Tucked safely inside of her tunic, her journal dug into her skin, and her dream flashed into her mind. Could she have-

Thunderous cracks sounded, so strongly and sharply that Echo flinched back and covered her ears from the loudness of it. Around her, the thickening crowds began to bleed worry, fear, and confusion. Echo ducked and wove her way through the Thunderians, refusing to get swallowed up by it. That driving need was her anchor, and she latched onto it, despite the growing desperation and urgency that began to grow with every passing second.

A clock was ticking down in her mind, and she knew it was related to the kittens. Every second was precious.

She turned down a street, sprinting for all she was worth.

The clock in her mind ground to a halt, and seconds later, two rocks sailed over her head, trails of smoke streaming behind them. Another horrifically loud crack echoed through the air, followed by the sound of rocks falling and debris building. She followed their trail, knowing that time was still of the essence. Finally, _finally_ , she made it to an open pavilion at the end of the street, where. . . Where an underground shelter was. . . How many lives had. . .?

Sorrow pulled at her, but Echo wrenched herself away from the sight, and forced herself to look around, search for the - there!

Two Cats were disappearing around a corner, tails waving in fear. Echo took off at a sprint after them, her dream flashing through her mind. Whoever was attacking Thundera, whoever was causing this widespread death and destruction, they were going to claim the lives of these two Cats. And that need inside of her, pulsing and tugging at her frantically, told her she couldn't let that happen.

Those Cats had to live. But she didn't know why.

Echo skidded around a corner, and her heart nearly ground to a stop in her chest as she found the Cats, standing frozen in the middle of a decaying street, five lizards staring them down. And they were wearing. . . Technology? They had it in their hands too. One of them was smiling, teeth sharp and shining in the light as he stared at the kittens.

". . . your prayers, _Cats_."

The girl kitten flinched behind the boy, and Echo ran forward again, desperately wishing her swords were strapped to her back. She threw herself against the girl, sending all three of them crashing into the ground. Echo heard the report of the piece of technology, and bit back a cry as pain sliced through her arm.

"Who're you-" The boy kitten was saying, wiggling out from under her.

"Not now!" She snapped, jumping to her feet, and standing in front of the kittens.

She'd hoped that the lizards had been shocked by her entrance. It might have given her enough time to deal with one or two of them. But the technology was trained on her, and she knew it was a fleeting hope. Blood trickled down her arm, and a sharp burning in her muscles told her that while she'd avoided most of the energy - it had sliced deep.

"A no-fur _freak_ ," Their executioner hissed in laughter, "My day just keeps getting-"

Her eyes widened as something white sailed overhead, and in the next moment a cleric landed in front of them, body moving inhumanly fast. He sped forward, a blue to her eye, taking out the first lizard and brutally punishing two more. The remaining two tried to fire, but the cleric avoided the shots and bashed their heads together. Their helmets cracked and their eyepieces shattered under his blows, and in seconds, they laid on the ground with the others, incapacitated. Echo swallowed, slightly in awe at the cleric's battle prowess, and then straightened.

 _I almost died_.

Her hands started to shake at her sides. If the cleric hadn't intervened, she would have been seconds away from greeting the reaper.

The kittens behind her stayed on the ground, bodies trembling in fear, eyes wide.

"Y-You're bleeding. . ." The girl said.

Echo felt the hot sting of blood, and she turned, looking at them both, a smile on her face.

"It's okay," She said, injecting fake confidence into her voice, "It doesn't hurt."

At the sound of her voice, the cleric turned, regarding them all. When his eyes landed on Echo, they narrowed. They were slitted in fury, and glowing with a harsh inner light. He approached, one footstep carefully measured in front of the other. Echo stood her ground, hand clenching at her side.

She knew who this cleric was, even swallowed up by his war attire.

"Sunda. . ." She said, her voice cracking suddenly, ". . . I wasn't going to let them die."

The cleric came to stand right in front of her, looking like a deliverer of death in his gear. He lifted a hand, and Echo saw him spread it wide, as though he were going to slap her. She wrenched her eyes shut, preparing herself for the blow.

She wasn't expecting his arms to circle around her and crush her to him. His body was shaking.

"I was so afraid," He said, voice hoarse, "I thought I was about to see you die."

Shock had Echo reeling. Sunda sounded as though he were on the verge of tears. His claws dug into her as he held her tighter, but Echo didn't make any protest.

"Eleven years ago, the lizards attacked my village. My family, my home - my _sisters_ were. . . I can't lose you, too."

_Oh, Sunda._

It all made sense. A horrible, terrible sense. Echo understood it all now. In that moment, she wanted to apologize for everything. She opened her mouth to do so, but Sunda was already straightening, and his hands slid over her arms. A familiar weight settled over her back, and her good arm came up to caress the end of a sheathe poking out from her back. The cleric was silent as he worked efficiently, tightening the straps to her body. Within moments, Echo was armed.

He grasped her injured arm next, and Echo heard him give a few short, murmured words, and touched two fingers to the injury. A fierce tingle started in her skin, along with a pang of discomfort as her skin began to heal. He couldn't heal it all the way, but it was enough for the time being. Done, he placed both hands on her shoulders, and those golden, glowing eyes stared straight at her.

"I must go to the King now. . . If anything happens, Echo, you fight. You fight until your last breath, and even _then_ you keep fighting. Swear it to me."

"Sunda-"

" _Swear_."

He wasn't going to let her get out of this. She paused, looking at the cleric, before she nodded her head.

In a second, he stepped away from her, eyes almost blazing under the lip of his helm, but then he was gone, jumping up and disappearing over the rooftops to rejoin the clerics. Echo watched him go, and she found herself suppressing the urge to call his name, to force him to reciprocate that promise. . . And she wanted, even more, to apologize.

"Miss?" Came a quiet, hushed voice behind her.

She turned, finding both kittens now standing and looking at her. She noticed they were holding hands, and they didn't even seem to realize they were doing it. _Two kittens, caught in a war like this. . . I'm just a kid too - no, Echo. Hold yourself together._ The kittens looked so vulnerable, though, and as Echo stood there in silence, she listened to the sound of war around her. In every direction, Thundera was crumbling more and more. And even though it pained her, she forced herself to give them a calm smile.

More than anything, she just wanted to curl up in ball and bawl her eyes out.

_So much death and destruction. . ._

"Hey," She said, forcing the words out of her, "It's gonna be okay. I'm going to get you two out of the city, alright? Can you run?" As she spoke the words, her own panic seemed to ease, just slightly. She didn't have the option of _not_ holding it together. The kittens were depending on her.

They glanced at each other, and then back to her, and nodded.

"Okay. Don't let go of your hands. I won't let anything happen to you."

Turning, she gestured for them to follow her, and in a heartbeat, they were running. Echo ran, but glanced over her shoulder to make sure the kittens were following her. She led them through the rapidly decaying streets, aiming for one of the emergency tunnels cut into the side of Thundera. Around them, there was blood, and rubble, and war. Echo's eyes stung with tears as she sprinted through the corpse of the once-beautiful city.

And she tried her best to say her prayers as she ran.

She stopped by the lip of a building, heart pounding in her chest, breaths rough and ragged.

Peeking around it, she bit out another curse. A squadron of lizards were there, advancing forward. The tunnel laid on the other side of the pavilion, and Echo breathed in deeply as she pressed herself back against the side of the wall. Plans and ideas ran through her mind as she tried to think. Beside her, the kittens looked at her for guidance, and for some reason, it was enough to give her confidence.

There was only one plan that stood out in her mind.

Become a distraction.

Echo pushed herself away from the wall, drawing her swords. A comforting rasp sounded in the quiet air the metal parted from the sheathe, and she held the hilts loosely in her hands. Battle calm built inside of her - along with a rage. She understood why Sunda hated the lizards now. They'd claimed of lives of innocent Cats - and if she hadn't intervened, they would have added two more kittens to their count. They were destroying Thundera, rock by rock, and taking pleasure in it.

"Wait-!"

She didn't turn around. Her resolve would be broken if she did.

"Across the street is a tunnel. The entrance is hidden under a mosaic. Press against the third rock on the bottom of it and the door will slide back. Don't wait for me. It will shut behind you. Run outside of Thundera and hide."

"But what about you?"

Their fear was almost palpable.

This time, Echo did turn, and she gave them the best grin she could manage.

"Trust me, okay?"

And then, before she could lose her will, she let loose a war cry and sprang forward, swords flashing in the fires that raged around them. She surprised the first lizard she stumbled upon, and his gun tumbled from his hand. She elbowed him, hard, before knocking him to the ground. His comrades trained their guns onto her, and Echo found herself dancing through a barrage of laser fire as she went for the next lizard. She swung her swords, but he brought his gun up, stopping them.

She kicked him in the gut, sending him sprawling. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the kittens darting across the pavilion, but a laser skimmed across her cheek, forcibly turning her attention on the battle again. Echo was on them again in a heartbeat, a sword lifting to slice through a barrel of a gun. A few of them began to run as she continued to take them out, one by one, body twisting and ducking under the fire, and she heard their commander hiss in rage.

"It's a single fighter!" He barked, "Stand your ground and _fire!_ "

A laser almost singed her foot, and Echo grit her teeth as she bent her spine, just barely managing to avoid another laser aiming for her face. More reinforcements began to arrive, drawn by the commotion, and she knew she was going to lose this battle, the numbers were quickly growing out of her favor-

"Echo, _duck!_ "

_Lion-O!_

Her body did instinctively, right as something whistled overhead, beeping - and Echo flinched as whatever it was exploded. Fiery heat licked against her, and her ears rang, but it calmed in the next few seconds. She gently eased herself from her protective ball, heart pounding as she looked at the smoke and fire that covered the area around her. For now, the lizards were gone. An eerie quiet had descended on the pavilion, but she could hear the sounds of war in the distance. She shook her head, trying to clear the ringing in her ears, and turned, looking for Lion-O.

She was greeted with a hand right next to her face.

It took a moment, but she realized she was staring at her friend. She could see the hate and rage and pain in his eyes. Lion-O was watching his city burn down around him. His home. His people. Those blue eyes were bright with barely-leashed fury, and a fierce snarl looked ready to leave his lips at any moment. Those blue eyes were burning with an intense need to hurt, to cause pain. . . Sheathing her swords, Echo took his hand and he helped swing her up to sit behind him on the bird. Slipping her arms around his waist, he kicked his heels into the animal's side, spurring it to run. A bag jostled at his side, filled with the clinking of metal.

"Where are we going?" She asked, raising her voice to be heard over the wind.

"The arena."

Echo swallowed back more questions, fearing what the answers might be.

But for some reason, she couldn't shake that feeling, that ominous dread that was beginning to sprout inside of her.

_This night is not going to end well._

* * *

 

 

"I trusted him. He was our _hero_." Rage seethed behind Lion-O's words, and Echo bit the inside of her cheek.

She could tell that touching him, offering any kind of emotional support - it would only serve to make him angrier right now. When they'd come to a stop, Echo had withdrawn her arms, instead choosing to grasp at the saddle they sat on. Lion-O's anger was such a palpable thing, and it tainted the very air around him.

In the arena below them, Tygra and Claudus were surrounded by robots and lizards, while Grune stood on the roots of the arena, a triumphant smile over his face, standing before a Cat wrapped in chains - from this distance, Echo couldn't make out his features.

"Your rule has come to a long overdue end, Claudus," Grune's voice echoed, oozing thick with confidence and triumph, "Now drop your inferior weapons! How can you defeat technology if you don't even understand it?"

She felt Lion-O tense, and then he withdrew a few of the pieces of technology from his bag. _That's the tech Jorma gave him_. Sliding his finger across the surface, the display lit up, coming to life, and began to beep. Echo moved to the side as he cocked his arm back.

"Luckily I know a thing or two about it, you _traitor!_ " Lion-O snarled, voice echoing in the arena.

He threw the disc, and it soared through the air, landing on one of the huge, human-like pieces of tech with a hollow _klang!_ The beeping grew faster, and this time, Echo covered her ears before the explosion. The blast eradicated the tech, and one-more well-thrown bomb took out the other two. Spurring the bird forward again, Lion-O guided them forward, smoke curling around them. The animal shifted restlessly under them, unused to the heat of battle.

Under any other circumstance, Echo would have laughed over the ridiculous expressions Claudus and Tygra wore when they looked over at the pair of them. As Claudus approached them, Echo swung her leg around and dismounted, and jogged over to Tygra.

"You alright?"

The tiger palmed his whip, expression tight with anger.

"Yeah," He said, and then glanced at her arm, "You?"

Echo looked down at the still-healing wound, "Just a little banged up. I can still fight, though."

"Good."

"We are going to show the lizards that the Sword of Omens is the greatest weapon of them all," Claudus announced, and Echo turned to find the leader of the ThunderCars drawing his sword. It extended, metal shimmering dangerously in the light. Echo felt power vibrating in the air, and it only intensified as Claudus lifted his weapon in the air in front of him, "ThunderCats! _Ho!_ "

The war cry made something in Echo's blood sing. The sword crackled with power, bright, white light bursting around it. Before she knew what she was doing, her own hands drew her swords, readying for battle again. She swore she could hear whispers in the air, almost as though Omens were telling everyone: _stand behind me, and we will be victorious. Lend me your arms - give me your strength, and I will make you even stronger._

Tygra rushed forward, and Echo followed suit, Lion-O just a beat behind her. It was hard to concentrate on the remaining lizards, however, as Claudus powered through them. With a single stroke, he felled more and more. Two at one stroke. Four. Six. The trio were left with the scraps of the army, but Echo did her best, jamming her sword hilt into one, and kicking another off the roots. Tygra, Lion-O and herself climbed the roots behind Claudus, where, at the very top of the arena, Grune stood guard in front of another chained Cat, one that Echo didn't recognize.

A shockwave plowed into her, almost making her lose her grip, and she turned to find Claudus using Omens to deflect an acid-green laser from Grune's massive hammer. The splashes billowed around them, and the trip were forced to jump away, or risk getting caught by the eddies of it.

Echo settled herself on a root, watching as Claudus almost buckled, but a second later, he threw the sword forward, and Grune's laser fizzled out. With a powerful stroke, he pushed his advantage, and Echo inwardly cheered as Grune fell onto the roots below, giant hammer toppling away.

"Echo, climb!" Tygra said next to her.

She shook her head, and turned herself back to the task of climbing up the roots. Tygra stayed by her side, because without claws on her fingers, and a semi-injured arm, climbing the thick roots was difficult. She managed, however, fingernails aching as she used them to gain as much leverage as possible. A shiver crawled down her spine, and she looked up again. Something was wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong.

Her suspicions were proven right as she caught sight of Lion-O, eyes widening in horror, propelling himself to run faster over the roots.

" _Father!_ "

Echo knew screams of pain. But this. . . It was unlike anything Echo had ever heard in her life, and she knew it was going to haunt her for years to come.

" _NO!_ "

So would that sound of utter desolation.

Time slowed to a crawl as she watched Claudus fall, red hair billowing about his face. His body hit roots on the way down, twisting and turning, before finally tumbling into the water. Lion-O was in the air moments later, diving in after his father, and Tygra detached from her side to follow him.

Omens, fell, too, striking the root right in front of her. Echo startled at it, thinking that somebody had just thrown it at her, but turned her attention back to the water a moment later. _Must have fallen from Claudus's hand. . ._

Everything was just wrong. Wrong, wrong, _wrong_. That feeling inside of her was going ballistic, demanding that she put a stop to everything before it was too late. Lion-O and Tygra had succeeded in pulling Claudus out of the water, and they hovered over their father.

He was dead.

Echo felt her heart ache in her chest as Lion-O visibly curled in on himself. Both he and Tygra were choking on their grief.

Laughter echoed around the arena, oily and thick. Echo craned her neck back, looking at a Cat she didn't recognize, and everything inside of her was screaming, and chills ran down her spine as she stared into his eyes.

" _You!_ A traitor too, Panthro?!" Lion-O snarled, each word deepening in rage.

_Panthro - the other general! He betrayed the King, too?!_

"Not quite," Panthro said above her, "Have you ever considered that if technology was real, then so are the things of your worst nightmares?"

Flames came to life on his body, and a moment later, Panthro was gone. Echo felt the entirety of her body flush in fear as energy, ten times more potent than that of Omens, clouded the air. The skies above them darkened, boiling and swirling and crackling with lightning as the very elements reacted to this evil, horrible power. Echo found her throat closing up as, through the fire, a ragged cloak emerged, decayed with time and riddled with moth-eaten holes-

_You._

_It's you._

"Mumm-Ra." Her words were snatched by the winds, and it felt like her throat had been made of sandpaper.

Echo stared, lost in her awe and fear. This man - this _creature_ , she'd read about the legendary battles the ThunderCats had waged against this evil monstrosity. He had shaken the very foundations of Third Earth before. And she'd _dreamed_ about him. She'd been so, so stupid not to put together the whole puzzle before. But now he was here, in Thundera, and he had been the epicenter for all of the death and destruction that had been waged that day. . .

"Clerics!" Jaga's voice sliced over the winds clearly, " _To the death!_ "

_No! No no no!_

" _Sunda!_ "

Echo whirled around, nearly toppling off the root as she saw the clerics leaping into the air, taking off from the lips of the half-destroyed arena, and she scanned frantically, looking for a spotted leopard - and when his cape billowed open, she finally spotted him. Echo reached out, hoping he'd see her, praying he'd hear her voice, but her screams were snatched away. Up above her, Mumm-Ra laughed.

"Pathetic fools. . . You are but insects to the power of Mumm-Ra! _The Ever-Living!_ "

Echo felt fear flood through her as the air began to crackle and snap, Mumm-Ra gathering power to him, and then, with a sharp cry, he loosed it.

The sky turned violet as the energy sped outward, and Echo screamed again, watching helplessly as the clerics were absorbed by the blast. And they just. . . Fizzled away. Disintegrated into dust. A few tattered remains of cloaks floated down from the sky, and Echo watched as Sunda. . . Sunda. . .

Tears were falling from her eyes. Her throat felt tight, like it had swelled shut. She sat there, feeling numb and consumed at the same time. Lizards began to pour into the arena, metal armor and weapons making a loud noise as they poured in from every open orifice.

_I never got to. . . Apologize to you. I understood. You were there for me, every step of the way. And I never got to thank you for that._

She couldn't move. Everything had. . . It had all gone wrong.

Everything she'd loved had been stripped from her at the hands of this monster. She stared ahead of her, and found her eyes drawn to the dulled edges of Omens. Echo just looked at the blade, and maybe it was just her imagination, some hallucination from this spell of grief woven so tightly over her but. . .

But for a moment, she swore she saw the Eye of Thundera flash.

"Thundera _has fallen!_ " Mumm-Ra declared, voice booming.

A victorious roar filled the air, and the lizards below them pumped their fists and weapons up into the air, proudly celebrating their victory.

_No._

_I can't let it end like this._

She got to her feet, that grief transforming into power. Sunda had told her to fight. So she was going to show that decayed bag of bones just what she was capable of!

She reached out, grasping the hilt of Omens. In her hold, she felt the sword pulse. It was the first time she'd ever dared laid hands on the weapons, and Echo could understand why. As soon as she'd touched the hilt, power fizzled through her, setting her blood to a boil and making her muscles tremble. Omens seemed to reach out to her, spurring her onward, encouraging her to achieve the impossible.

Her grief, her numbness, it turned to a dark place.

In her mind's eye, she could see everyone Mumm-Ra had murdered. The kittens that had narrowly escaped death. The countless Cats that had sought refuge. And Sunda, her beloved friend. . .

That darkness gave her the energy to hop up the last few roots and come face to face with the terror.

"Echo! _Echo no!_ " Lion-O was yelling up at her from down below, but Echo ignored his cries.

Mumm-Ra turned, and when she made eye contact, she found that darkness growing.

"I'll kill you," She said, calmly, beginning to walk forward. The tip of Omens dragged on the ground beside her, rasping against the roots, "I'll smash your body into a thousand pieces. I'll make you scream."

"Oh?" Mumm-Ra's lips split into a grin, but it looked like a giant, gaping wound on his face, "And what makes you believe you have the power to stand against me, child?"

Echo grit her teeth. The sound of his voice. She hated it. Tears were still falling, though she could hardly feel them sliding down her cheeks.

"I _hate_ you!"

And she ran forward, using both her hands to prep Omens for the swing. It was a heavy sword, so much heavier than what she was used to, but rage and adrenaline gave her the strength to swing it. Another smile split his face, and he spread his hands, purple energy spreading. He cocked his hands back, and then shoved them forward, and another purple blast headed straight at her.

Instinctively, she brought Omens round, and the Eye of Thundera glowed, humming. The sword vibrated in her hands as she brought the sword in front of her, and the energy smacked right up against it. Heat licked against her skin, and the power threatened to push her back and send her sprawling, but Echo dug her heels in and _shoved_. Omens almost flew out of her hands as she managed to parry the blast away, and she sped forward again, every step taking her closer and closer to Mumm-Ra.

He looked surprised.

But Echo wasn't fast enough.

She saw a flash of white, and then bandages shot out and wrapped around her, stopping her moments before she'd been able to swing the sword at him again.

"What an interesting quandary you are. But your anger blinds you! You wield War as though it were nothing more than a toy, child!"

_I'll kill you._

_I vow it.  
_

Mumm-Ra looked at her, and a smirk twisted up his paper-dry lips.

"I believe I have use for you yet."

That purple energy raced up the bandages holding her, and Echo's eyes widened in surprise for just a moment, but then pain cascaded into her.

Echo wasn't ashamed to say that she screamed. She dropped Omens as her muscles refused to obey her orders, and still the agony grew, becoming a horrible crescendo - until it stopped.

And she fell. She collapsed, blackness swirling around her as her mind shut down, seeking refuge from the events of that day.

As unconsciousness claimed her, Echo thought she could hear Lion-O calling her name.

* * *

 

 _You must not give into the sorrow, child_.

Echo tried to contain herself. She bit down on the inside of her cheek until it started to bleed, trying not to give Mumm-Ra the satisfaction he craved. . . But that only made her punishment worse. More energy flooded the bandages around her, and Echo couldn't contain herself any longer. Her cry of pain was cut short as her lungs closed up, refusing to let her breathe. Mumm-Ra continued for just a moment longer before realizing she had reached the end of her rope, and that malevolent energy finally crackled out.

 _Remember what we have taught you_.

Perched above her, Mumm-Ra sat on the throne that had once belonged to Claudus, the bag of decaying body parts let out a thoughtful 'hm.'

"Extracting information from you is far less pleasing that what I thought it would be."

There were no more tears.

Echo didn't think she could cry any more even if she wanted to.

_Death is not the end; it is merely the beginning. There is another life. His transition was painless._

Something wrapped around her throat and forced her to look up, and Echo didn't resist.

_Do not give into the rage. Live, for his sake, Echo. Stand tall._

"And yet, you could actively tap into War's power. How is this, child? How is a _human_ capable of such a feat?"

 _I don't know_ , she thought. After the arena, she'd been brought into the throne room to be interrogated with Jaga and a remaining cleric. Grune stood to the side of the throne, arms crossed over his chest as he stared, disinterested, in what was occurring before him. When she'd come to, Jaga had whispered a short, brief counsel with her - right before Mumm-Ra had noticed and dragged her in the middle of the throne room.

She didn't know how long he'd been at it, but his version of "questioning" involved shocking her, asking her questions, and then shocking her more.

The bandages around her tightened, and Echo tensed, expecting more lightning, but she was lifted into the air instead. In a moment, she was hovering before the cloaked terror himself, and those glowing eyes examined her critically.

"What an interesting pet you are - yet I grow tired of your silence. Have you lost that fighting spirit? You _had_ such an admirable spirit when you lifted that blade against me. . . Tell me, child, did you like the power it gave you? The sorrow - the _hate!_ Such a potent power it has, doesn't it?"

Echo shivered in disgust as he ran a finger down the side of her face, and she resisted the urge to turn and bite his finger. It would probably snap right off. Talk about gross.

"No."

As powerful as it had been to seize that darkness, she was never going to do it again. Sunda. . . Sunda wouldn't have wanted her to do that.

Mumm-Ra chuckled, "Ah, you lie, human. I do not appreciate lies."

That purple aura billowed up again, and Echo tensed, feeling her heart quicken in her chest, but, quite surprisingly, her rescue came in the form of Grune.

"It would be wise to stop, my Lord. The cleric's pet is reaching the end of her endurance. You would not want to break her just yet."

That energy fizzled out, and with little grace, the bandages unwound around her and deposited her roughly on the floor.

"This is true. Bring me Jaga."

Two lizards latched onto her, dragging her away, and she let them. She was exhausted, and every muscle felt sore. Her swords had been stripped from her back, but she could see them, sitting by Mumm-Ra's throne. Just looking at them made her remember Sunda's fingers tightening the straps over her shoulders. She'd promised him. Her heart wrenched in her chest, and Echo forced herself to train her mind elsewhere. Anywhere but thoughts of her beloved friend.

Two lizards unchained the head cleric and dragged him forward. One of them shoved his face into the ground.

"These two are all that remain of the fabled Guardians of the Crown." One hissed, taking the time to painfully dig his heel into Jaga's back as he walked over him. The ancient Cat hardly seemed to notice.

"So," Mumm-Ra said, leaning back in the throne, "You are Jaga. Legendary sorcerer to the _dead_ King. Such a shame Claudus could not join us today, but I fear he is. . . Occupied."

"And you are even more grotesque than the stories suggested."

Echo expected one of the lizards to retaliate for the flippant disrespect. One of them lifted his gun (as she'd learned they were called), preparing to smack the butt of it down, but Mumm-Ra held up a hand, stopping the violence.

"I admire a fighting spirit. It's so much more fun when they fight. Tell me, Jaga. Did your stories neglect to tell you that the stone in that sword is _mine_?"

 _It is?_ Echo hadn't recalled legends in any of the Thunderian texts informing her of that. Mumm-Ra turned to Omens and began to reach for it, a possessive gleam entering his eye, but the Eye of Thundera came to life and repelled him, harsh red lightning singing his hand. Mumm-Ra bit out a cry as he hastily snatched his hand away, and then he glowered, anger darkening the rotting lines of his face.

"I want it _back_." He seethed, eyes glowing as his anger became deeper with every second.

On the ground, Jaga grinned. Echo marveled at how, in spite of everything that had happened, he could still smile in the face of this monster.

"I'm afraid an ancient spell prevents the sword from being touched by the hands of evil."

"That is why you're going to remove the spell!" Mumm-Ra snapped. Like snakes, his bandages began to react, lifting off the floor and curling dangerously in the air around him.

" _Never_."

Jaga's voice had a silent oath to it, and Echo knew he meant it. Even if it killed him, he would never let Mumm-Ra have his way. The bandages raced forward, snapping around Jaga's withered form and lifting him up into the air. Echo closed her eyes, and tried to do her best to block out his cries. She knew what he was feeling. That pain. It was hard. Harder than she expected, however. Mumm-Ra laughed as Jaga writhed in the air, body wracked with pain.

_Will this nightmare ever end? Where can I escape this pain?_

_Somebody. . . Somebody please save me._

Echo's eyes snapped open as she heard the report of a gun, and her heart jumped up in her throat, fearing the worst, but the bandages holding Jaga had been sliced cleanly through. The cleric was freed a moment later, lasers breaking the chains that bound her to the pillar she'd been imprisoned on. In a heartbeat, war erupted in the room, and Echo sat there, feeling completely dumbfounded as a fight broke out, and she jumped when she felt clawed hands resting over her wrists.

"Are you okay, Echo?" Tygra's voice floated into her head a moment later, and it took her a second to register it.

Relief flowed through her.

"I t-think so."

He helped her up to her feet, and her head snapped back to the throne as she heard Mumm-Ra let loose a deadly, blood-curdling snarl.

Lion-O knelt on the floor, a shortened Omens in his hands. Another wave of relief washed through her, so strongly that Echo nearly fell onto the floor. Her friend was alive. He and Tygra both. She'd feared the worst.

"You took my father's life," Lion-O said, "But you'll never take his sword!"

He came to his feet, blue eyes glowing as he swung Omens.

"Thunder."

Omens extended, metal rasping as it grew.

"Thunder!"

Blue energy crackled around the blade. Echo felt her body tingle as power thrummed in the air once more.

" _Thunder!_ "

The hilt of the sword curled around the Eye of Thundera, and Echo found Mumm-Ra spreading his arms, preparing to unleash another barrage of his own.

Lion-O beat him to it.

" _ThunderCats! HO!_ "

Echo watched as the Eye of Thundera came to life, and red energy shot out of it, slamming into Mumm-Ra with a power she'd never witnessed before. Even the lizards in the throne room ground to a halt to stop and stare at the display. Mumm-Ra's cloaked form disappeared as the Eye blasted him through a wall and into the outer courtyard surrounding the palace.

"Don't stand there, you idiots! Return _fire!_ " Grune barked, body disappearing a moment later to follow Mumm-Ra.

The lizards opened fire, and Echo reached for her swords, but cursed when she remembered they were sitting right next to the throne. The cleric tossed off her uniform, using it as a cover to attack a lizard, and Echo blinked in shock.

"Cheetara?" Tygra asked, tone sounding speechless.

"She's a cleric?" Lion-O continued.

". . . You didn't know?" Echo said, looking between the two of them. _Seriously? It wasn't that obvious?_

"Let's go!" She said, and not a moment too soon. Laser fire peppered them, and Echo moved, helping Jaga to his feet. The cleric directed them to the throne, and Echo was quick to scoop up her swords and throw the harness hastily over her back. There wasn't any time to tighten it down, she'd just have to be careful-

Jaga pulled on a torch, and the wall slid away, revealing a hidden passageway.

Echo hesitated, but Jaga pushed her inside, and she stood in the darkened passageway as Cheetara, Lion-O and Tygra sped forward. _I'm not leaving you too, Jaga. I swear I won't_.

The door slid shut, but Jaga jerked, eyes widening in pain as a laser struck his back. Echo slid into place beside him a moment later, catching him before he collapsed. Cheetara shoved the gauntlet she was holding into Tygra's hands and joined them in a millisecond, body a golden flash as she helped support Jaga's other side. Echo and her locked eyes, and the cleric nodded. Worry nagged at Echo as they moved as quickly as possible, supporting the old cat between the both of them.

The passageway around them shook and crumbled as the lizards did their best to break through the wall on the other side, and Echo knew it wouldn't be long. The stone wouldn't last against their assault forever. Her muscles burned, and she knew she was going to burn out soon - the only thing keeping her up on her feet was adrenalin.

As they came upon a pool with a thin stone bridge, Jaga shook his head.

"Before we go further," He wheezed, "There is something that must be done."

"It can wait!" Cheetara cut over him.

"It _must_ be now!"

"Jaga, we'll get to safety-"

The old cat shook off their hold with surprising strength, but it quickly dissipated. He collapsed onto his knees on the floor, and Echo followed him down, but he warded off her hands as she tried to wrap them around him to help him to his feet again. Determination and urgency radiated off him. He held his hand out for the gauntlet, and Tygra obeyed wordlessly, passing it over.

"Your left arm," He said, gently - as if they had all the time in the world. Lion-O stretched out his arm, and Jaga slid the piece of armor over it. For a moment, nothing happened - but then it molded to fit Lion-O's arm, and he wriggled his claws, looking surprised. Jaga closed his eyes, one hand tightly holding onto his staff.

"For the Eye of Thundera, and the Sword of Omens," A few more words left him, sounding like a mix between a prayer and a spell, and the cleric touched his staff to the gauntlet. It glowed in response, "Now, Lion-O, Lord of the ThundeCats. Go."

"What?" Echo asked, shock rippling through her.

_You want us to leave you?_

"You're coming with us!" Cheetara protested, pain glimmering in her eyes.

"I will only slow you down," Jaga said softly, using his staff to help him to his feet, "At least this way I can buy you time to get to safety. . . The Book of Omens," He commands, placing a hand against Lion-O's breastplate and giving a weak push, "Lies at the foot of the setting sun. You _must_ find it before Mumm-Ra does!"

Echo thought she couldn't cry any more.

She'd been wrong.

Tears bubbled over her eyes, and inwardly, she laughed at her weakness. All she'd done since this began was cry.

Lion-O seemed to be with her in the pity-party.

"I can't do this alone!" He cried. Echo could see it in his face. It was too much, too soon.

Around them, the cavern shivered, reminding them the lizards were close to breaking through the stone.

"You won't have to. You have everything you need, Lion-O. Whatever questions remain, the answers lie in the Book."

Lion-O hesitated, but Tygra grabbed his hand. He gave Jaga a pained look before the brothers disappeared down the passage.

"Jaga - Jaga. Jaga, _no_. I've lost too much. Stop it, please. You can make it. You _can make it_."

Echo knew they didn't have time.

But she stood there and she sobbed, overwhelmed by her pain. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair.

Jaga didn't offer her comfort. He didn't hold her or touch her or pat her on the shoulder like he normally did.

"You must go, child," He said, tone soft. Slow. Gentle, "Your destiny is bound with that of Lion-O's. Whatever answers you seek, you will find. Your path is a hard one, but you must take it."

Cheetara grabbed her wrist and started pulling, looking visibly pained. Echo fought against her, looking at the resigned face of Jaga.

" _Jaga!_ "

With a crack, the door gave way, and lizards began to pour in, catching up to them in a heartbeat. Grune's laser crackled, and Echo nearly tripped and fell as the cavern collapsed, blocking them off. Cheetara yanked her, spinning her around before she could see more, and continued pulling her, forcing her to run down the passage. Lion-O and Tygra waited just a distance up ahead, and when they were reunited, they ran.

It was dark.

Echo found renewed grief pulling at her as they ran through the tunnel.

"Don't cry," Cheetara told her, "He wouldn't want you to cry."

It helped stem her tears, but only because she noticed that Cheetara seemed on the verge of crying herself. And eventually, knowing that somebody else was suffering alongside her, it _did_ help to stop Echo's tears. A stitch developed in her side as they continued their winding path, up, up, up, until finally they came to a doorway, bright sunlight greeting them.

They emerged on a cliff side overlooking the razed Thundera, and Echo stood there, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin and face. . . But she felt like she'd never be warm again.

And as she looked at Thundera, she realized war. . . War wasn't beautiful, glorious, or awe-inspiring as the texts in the library had suggested.

It was senseless death and pain and blood.

It was suffering.

Lion-O stood, clutching his gauntlet, and Echo could see the rage and fury glimmering just under his surface, waiting to be unleashed.

"We're all alone now. . ." He murmured.

"No," Tygra said, "You're not alone. I'll always be there."

He laid a hand over Lion-O's gauntlet, and a moment later, Cheetara placed hers over theirs as well.

"I am the last of the Guardians of the Crown. I swear I will protect you."

They blinked in shock as Echo placed her hand on top of the pile.

"I'm not a Cat," She said, "But you're the only friends - the only race - I have. I'll stay with you. Until the very end."

A hint of a smile came to life on Lion-O's face, but it died out a moment later as that grief claimed him again.

"This is just the beginning."

As they stood there, over the ruins of the once-beautiful Thundera, Echo couldn't tell if it as just an observation. . .

Or a dangerous vow.


	6. Ramlak Rising

"Rest here." Lion-O ordered, albeit his tone seemed far from pleased.

Echo watched the Wily twins collapse in front of her, gasping for breath. She sympathized with them, and had half a mind to join them. Around them, the incessant desert heat beat down at them, rapidly sucking them dry. Cheetara and Tygra moved around the small twin-sized roadblock, eager to finally rest themselves. Cheetara seated herself on a flat rock and began to dig around inside of her satchel, and Tygra took the opportunity to lean heavily against the tall stone formation they were resting by. _Poor Tygra_ , she thought, _that armor has got to be making this at least ten times worse for him._

The shade they all plopped themselves down in only served to needle a few degrees off the heat, but Echo was glad for it. It was a few more degrees she didn't have to swelter in.

Two weeks had raced by in the blink of an eye. Lion-O had been so determined to find Mumm-Ra and his army, he'd hardly allowed them any rest. They'd rationed their provisions accordingly, and took turns keeping watch in the night, but the breakneck pace, early mornings, and rapidly-dwindling supplies had become a rather large, painful drain on morale, and strength.

But, even though Echo feared their destination, and the enemy that awaited them, she had to admit that there was a certain kind of. . . Excitement coursing in her. The path outside of Thundera had led her to new, unexplored lands. So far, in the weeks they'd been traveling, they had encountered deep canyons, a very peaceful forest, and hilly plains. Third Earth was a stunning place, and she drank it all in happily. Which she was also enormously glad for, too. After Thundera's fall, and the loss of all she loved and held dear, she'd worried that she would never be able to feel happiness again.

. . . And, deep down, she hoped their journey would allow her to rip apart her amnesia and discover every nuance of her past.

Wiping an arm over her forehead, she took out her canteen and knelt in front of the twins.

The Wily twins had greeted them outside of Thundera, much to Echo's surprise - and delight. But with their arrival had come the first of many contentions between her and Lion-O. Their new King had outright denied them entrance to the group, coldly glaring at the two energetic kittens. At Echo's insistence, he'd turned that glare onto her and said, " _We're not babysitting. They'll have to take care of themselves_."

Which had shocked her.

WilyKat groaned in front of her, scrubbing at his mouth with the back of his hand. His lips were chapped even more severely than her own, and pulling herself from her thoughts, she passed them her canteen, uttering a short warning to take only a few sips. They both jumped eagerly at the chance to drink water. Kat passed the canteen to Kit, and winced as his stomach growled loudly.

"I'm _hungry!_ " He whined, "Do you have any food, Echo?"

"Uhm. . ."

She patted her pockets, but they were empty. She gave Kat an apologetic look, and the kitten groaned.

"It's okay," She soothed, "We'll get something to eat soon. . . Tygra, do you have anything?"

Tygra looked at her, eyes moving sluggishly away from the sand he'd been staring at. Echo waited as he stared at her, as though trying to figure out what she'd said, and she was just about to ask him if he was alright before he searched his pockets too - also coming up empty-handed.

"Sorry, kids," He mumbled, "Lion-O! We've lost the lizard's trail, and we're all exhausted." His voice certainly reflected it, too. And Tygra was never one to complain. He was a strong soldier, constantly putting other's needs before his own. He'd given up his share of the food to the kittens several times in place of Echo (who had appointed herself their personal caretaker). Actions like that had given her a small piece of relief in their hard journey.

Over the past few days, however, their provisions had begun to run out. Lion-O had refused to allow them to go into the settlements to buy more - leaving them with rapidly-dwindling supplies. He had told them all that they were close to finding Mumm-Ra's lair, and they couldn't stop. Every day they hadn't found Mumm-Ra was another day Lion-O sat and simmered in his need for revenge.

"Our supplies are gone." Cheetara interjected, shaking out dirt from her empty satchel.

"I don't care," He growled, "We keep moving forward."

And, just like that, he turned and began to walk again, striding out of the shade. _His anger makes him immune to hunger, apparently_ , Echo thought bitterly.

"Already?" Kit groaned, "But we just sat down!"

Echo turned to the kittens, concern rising in her. She reached out and gave Kit's shoulder a light pat, and shot her a comforting smile.

There had been fights about the kittens, and how Lion-O viewed them as a liability.

In fact, there had been a lot of fights, lately. Just three days ago, Tygra and Lion-O had almost traded blows, and it would have gotten ugly if Cheetara hadn't stepped between them to stop it. Lion-O was completely focused on his revenge, it seemed, and was oblivious to the needs of everyone else. Echo doubted he would stop, even if he killed them all in the process. The only thing that mattered to him was Mumm-Ra's death. And she was wholeheartedly willing to help him with this cause.

But his methods. . . The kittens were just children. They weren't battle-hardened soldiers, or trained by clerics. They were small kittens, lost with a home or a people. _I'm reaching the end of my limit, too_.

"Lion-O," She called, coming to her feet, "We need to rest now. Pushing ourselves here isn't wise."

The King stopped and turned, eyes cold.

"No," He snapped, "We move out. _Now_. Mumm-Ra's trail is fading with every second we waste by sitting around. Get your gear and move it."

"No."

Lion-O stopped and turned, slowly. Despite the heat barraging them all, Echo felt a shiver crawl down her spine. That anger, the rage hey'd all seen curling and growing inside of Lion-O, it was right there, swirling right at the surface, just waiting to erupt. And she'd just given him the perfect outlet. He began to approach her, entire body tensed.

"No? You would disobey me?" His blue eyes slitted, narrowing on her. _Stick to your guns, girl._

"The kittens are exhausted, Lion-O. _I'm_ exhausted. You're running us ragged. Your father wouldn't have wanted you to get revenge like this. None of us will even be able to help you if you keep pushing us-"

"What do _you_ know?" Lion-O snapped, fangs baring at her, "If Tygra or I had been on that funeral pyre, my father would have _buried. That. Demon!_ I intend to do him the same justice. So don't pretend like you understand, because you _don't!_ "

Something inside of Echo went _snap_.

"And this is the way to honor your father? Kill the rest of your race in a half-cocked plan to extract revenge? What about what Jaga said, Lion-O? What the cleric _died_ telling you? He told us to find the _Book of Omens!_ Not go cashing after Mumm-Ra!" She was yelling, voice echoing around her, though she hardly noticed.

"The Book can _wait_ ," He snarled, glaring down at her, "It has for centuries - and it will keep waiting until Mumm-Ra is gone!"

"Maybe the Book has _answers_ , Lion-O. _Answers_ that help you defeat Mumm-Ra!" She snapped back, returning his glare.

Her friend, during the course of their journey, had changed.

Lion-O, in Thundera's prime, had been happy-go-lucky. He could be serious if the need called for it, and he was protective and kind and generous to those who required it. He wasn't afraid to lend a helping hand, and everyone was a friend until proven otherwise. But this Lion-O, the King that stood before her - he was cruel. He cared nothing for the needs of his people or his friends. He was cold and heartless and angry at everything and everyone. He wasn't the friend Echo had known.

She wasn't afraid to stand before him.

" _Answers_?" His eyes were just small pinpricks now, fury shining brightly in them, "I already know who destroyed my city - killed my King! What other _answers_ do you need?! Did you forget that you vowed to stay with me, until the very end? Those were your words!"

"I vowed that to my _friend_. You aren't the Lion-O I know. You are. A. _Tyrant!_ "

Silence fell abruptly, and Echo glared up at the lion above her, wishing she could take the hilt of a sword and ram it up against his skull and drive some sense into him. Words obviously weren't working. For a few long, incredibly slow moments, they only glared at each other. Finally, Lion-O leaned in, nose almost touching her own.

"We're going after Mumm-Ra, _human._ That is a _command_."

He did an about-face, cloak snapping in the wind, and Lion-O started to stomp off. She should have been stung by his words, and in truth, they did hurt her, a little. She watched him go, and she felt incredibly torn. Part of her wanted to recoil in shock at his rash coldness. The other part of her wanted to go sit on the sand and tell him to go ahead on his own. A larger part of her wanted to scream in exasperation and follow behind him while peppering his back with insults.

"That's. . . That's the first time you've fought." Tygra said, tone soft.

_He thinks I'm going to snap at him._

The urge was there, but directing her irritation at Tygra was wrong. He'd been nothing but helpful to her since they'd come out of the city. Almost as though he wanted to make up for his brother's actions. There had been a few times (embarassingly enough) that she'd had to be carried, and Tygra had wordlessly piggybacked her. Mumm-Ra's interrogation had wracked her body and left her weak, and for the first few days, she'd had to be cared for. Just remembering those purple, searing flashes made her muscles ache in phantom pains. . .

"Yeah, I know," She said, giving a bone-deep sigh, "It's true, though. I might be angry - but it's true."

Much as it pained her to admit it. . .

Everyone remained put, and Lion-O continued to walk away, determined to continue with or without them. A few moments later, Cheetara finally relented an began to pick up her belongings, and everybody echoed her, although Echo was sure to grumble as she did so.

"What is _that?_ " Kat asked, his tail flicking in curiosity.

Echo turned, finding Snarf circling the ground and running ahead, before circling again. Echo looked up and saw. . . A stone outcropping. With a man-made hole cut into it. Beyond it lied. . . Shifting sands? Tygra and Cheetara got to their feet, and the twins jumped up and started running, Snarf leading the way. Lion-O, drawn by the commotion, slid to a stop, one hand on the hilt of Omens. He looked ready to snarl at them for not finding Mumm-Ra's forces, but he paused, looking at the swirling sands.

"The Sand Sea. Mumm-Ra's lair must just be on the other side."

He took off after the kittens, and Echo fell into a jog beside Tygra, fatigue momentarily forgotten.

"The Sand Sea?" She asked. Lion-O had mentioned it as they'd left Thunera, but Echo had held onto the vain hope that he'd give up on chasing Mumm-Ra before they ever reached it.

"I've never seen it before," Tygra said, huffing next to her, "Reach about it, though. . ."

The company entered the archway and emerged directly in front of the Sea. The churning sands acted just like water, constantly rushing up against the shore and withdrawing, only to hit it again. The twins cried out in delight and rushed into the surf, ignoring Cheetara's shout not to wander in. They played in the sandy waves, flinging grains at each other and squealing in glee at the strange wonder. Echo, despite the fight she'd just had with her best friend, found herself. . . Refreshed.

At least somebody could have some fun.

It was nice to see _somebody_ playing and laughing and smiling. Before she knew what she was doing, Echo had taken a few steps forward, intent on joining them, but after a few feet, she stopped.

And she stared.

Echo was. . . She was afraid.

Staring at the golden waves brought back a rabid, gnawing fear she hadn't experienced since her arrival in Thundera. Just the thought of stepping foot in the waves made her hands start to shake at her sides. As she looked out to the Sand Sea, listening to the waves crashing down on the beach, the world faded away from her. The sun and the heat disappeared in a moment, leaving her in a dark, shadowy place.

Scenery came back to her, then. Actual, fine sand framed a beautiful beach. The waters were a crystal blue, and a pleasant warmth rose from the waves. Echo stared at the water, familiarity rising inside of her - and startled when she heard someone noisily dragging themselves from the surf. She turned, and found. . . She found herself.

She was dripping wet, bruised, and injured. Blood dripped down from a nasty gash over her left eye, and white hair was plastered everywhere on her face. Even more shockingly, her blue eyes were bright, nearly glowing as power illuminated them. But she was different. There was something about that expression she wore that told Echo she wasn't the one in control-

And then it was gone.

And she was back in front of the Sand Sea.

_Another memory. . . I've been to the sea before. But what happened to me? What was I doing there?_

"Hey!" Kit cried, "I found something! Look!"

Echo startled again, and looking frantically for the kittens, fearing that some monster had just wrapped its ugly paws around them, but they were jumping up and down and pointing at. . . Was that. . .?

"Food!" Kat said, rushing out to the platter that sat on top of the waves.

Even from the distance she stood, Echo thought it looked delicious. She could see there was plenty to go around, too. Just staring at the plate made Echo's stomach want to eat itself through her spine. Lion-O, Tygra, and Cheetara had already rushed into the sea and were digging into the goodies. She looked on with longing, but just the thought of entering the churning sands made her stomach ball up into knots.

Cheetara noticed.

"Echo? Come get some food." She called out, waving an apple in the air.

Echo looked at the sea, then to the food, to Cheetara, and then to the sea again. She swallowed, feeling that irrational fear pulse inside of her, but her stomach growled noisily, and a hunger pain wove through her. Before she could stop herself, she forced her feet to carry her to the knee-deep sand. _I'm with the Cats. Nothing bad's going to happen._

"You alright?" Cheetara asked, tossing her the piece of fruit. Echo caught it and shook her head with a smile.

"Thought I saw something." She said, taking a bite. She didn't like telling other people what happened when sudden memories decided to wash over her. Her moments of weakness embarrassed her. Before Cheetara could ask more, she took a bite of the apple, and was thoroughly distracted herself.

It was crispy and crunchy, and she moaned as she took another bite, not even bothering to chew it. By _Thundera_ , she had been starving and hadn't even realized how much.

"Wait," Tygra said, in the middle of digging into something meaty, "Where. . . Where did this come from?"

On that cue, Echo heard a strange ripping sound, and saw something zipping towards them, spitting up sand in their wake. A moment later, ropes wrapped around them all. Forcefully, she was shoved right up against Tygra's chest - and a moment later, they were airborne. The twins let out a scream of surprise, and Echo tried to grab onto them, but everybody's limbs were tangled up in her own, making it impossible. The rope jerked, and Echo saw a deck rushing up to meet them. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the blow.

Tygra twisted, forcibly shoving an arm around her, and they slammed into the deck.

His armor took the brunt of the impact, but her forehead had whacked up against his breastplate. _Ow. Ow. Oh my god, ow. What do the lizards make this stuff out of?_

A foot stepped in front of her nose, and she craned her neck back, looking up to see a. . . uh. . . Fish. . . Man.

"Lookit lads, quite the catch we got ourselves!"

An uproar of laughter rippled through the crowd.

"Quite the motley crew, it is." Another jibed, poking at them with the butt of a harpoon. From within their tightly-bound bundle, Echo could hear Lion-O snarl.

"Oi! What's wit' that racket, you maggots?" A voice called, silencing the din.

She heard more footsteps, a wet smack, followed by a hissing wheeze. Another fishman stopped just before the base of their net, carrying himself with an air of authority. He turned his gaze over each one of them, examining them, and when he finished, his lips curled into an unhappy sneer.

"Another worthless haul!" He spat, "Eat what ya like, lads, n' turn the rest inta chum!"

The sharp rasping noise of two knives grating together filled the air above her.

"Whiskers!" Tygra hissed.

One of the fishmen stepped on one of the weights keeping the ropes tight around them. And as though it had a mind of its own, the netting moved. All of the strands compressed to form several loops around them, and it cinched tightly. Echo grunted as it grated against her ribs painfully, digging into her torso. Several of the fish picked them up and sat them upright, jeering all the while. Despite their situation, echo stared at them, beside herself with curiosity. She'd seen cats and dogs in Thundera, but these were fish. _Fish._ How many species did Third Earth have?

"I am Lord of the ThunderCats!" Lion-O called, yelling over their voices, "And I order you to release us!"

For a moment, the fishmen were quiet. But, a second later, they burst out into laughter again. Lion-O growled, and next to her, Tygra wriggled, trying to free himself from their restraints.

"It's still got some fight, lads!" Their leader grinned, "Well, _Lord of the ThunderCats!_ I am Koinelius Tunar - and I order you filleted!"

The rasping knives sounded again, and Echo glared at a very fat chef as he approached, staring down at them gleefully. His hungry gaze landed on the kittens.

"I'll start with the little ones." He said, eyes and smile widening. When the kittens cowered against them, shrinking back, Echo found a snarl of her own leaving her.

"You stay away from them!" She snapped, glaring up at the chef.

He leered down at her, and continued to advance.

Echo had plenty of anger to go around, and that anger helped fuel her telekinesis. Not to mention she'd been practicing with Cheetara every day of their journey. She reached out with her mind and shoved the chef's chest, sending him sprawling. He looked nothing short of comical as his arms pinwheeled, and he fell backwards. He hit the deck with a loud crash, and Echo let out a gasp as the entire ship rocked. Tygra stared at her in surprise.

"How did you do that?" He asked.

"But I didn't-"

Something under the ship groaned, sounding like timber creaking, and from over the side of the ship, a thick, green tentacle crept up and wrapped around a crewman, dragging him off the side. The fishman's screams stopped as he was swallowed up by the sand.

"The Ramlak!" Tunar cried out, "Get to yer posts! My quarry returns!"

The fishmen scrambled, leaving the group as they began to gather weapons. Echo watched as Tunar forcibly shoved two of his lackeys aside in an attempt to reach the harpoon guns first, his eyes wide with madness. _God, he's crazy. He's a madman._ Her point was only proven as he laughed when more green tentacles appeared, surfacing from the sand. Echo's mouth dropped open as they hovered in the air. One of them descended, gaining speed, and smacked against the deck of the ship with a noisy crash.

"Echo! Cut the ropes!" Lion-O said, snapping Echo from her stupor.

"I can't! I just shove and grab things, if you want me to break your ribs, though-"

"You're _useless!_ " He cried, exasperated.

 _Thanks for the encouragement, friend_ , she thought acid dropping from her thoughts. One of the fishmen collapsed, his gun sliding from his hands. A tentacle wrapped around his ankle and dragged him off the ship a moment later. Echo grit her teeth against the senseless death, and used to mind to latch onto his fallen weapon and dragged it closer. Cheetara caught it with her foot, and somehow, began to saw at the ropes. Within moments, the bindings snapped and fell away, and they were free. Breathing a sigh of relief, she jumped to her feet, reaching for her swords, but green tentacles descended on them a moment later.

Quicker than she could react, it wrapped around her waist, squeezing with bruising force.

"What is this?!" Echo cried out, "This is bull-"

"ThunderCats," Lion-O called, " _Ho!_ "

Omens extended, and Lion-O sliced through the tentacle holding him. Echo stared in surprise, momentarily forgetting the Ramlak was holding her, hoisting her further up into the air. Omens wasn't exuding power or strength. It was just acting like a chunk of metal. She couldn't feel anything coming from the sword. _It knows. Omens knows. It's aware he's not fighting for his people. But how does it-?_

"Echo!"

The tentacle holding her jerked, and she fell through the air. Tygra caught her just before she could crash into the deck. He grinned down at her, tips of his fangs peeking over his lips.

"That's the second time I've saved your hide today."

"Oh, shut up!" She said, sliding from his arms. She said it as flippantly as she was able, but there was a smile on her face, belaying the truth that she wasn't angry at him.

Tygra's eyes jerked to something behind her, and Echo moved with it, throwing her arm out in front of her.

Another tentacle had been speeding towards them, but stopped, crashing against Echo's mind as she projected a shield around them. Another deep, guttural groan filled the air, and the Ramlak strained against her hold. Echo almost buckled at the sheer strength that pushed back against her - and Tygra fired off a shot right next to her head. Part of the tentacle fell, and the rest of the appendage whipped around - and clear goop came sailing right at her.

Echo tried to duck out of the way, but it splashed across her face, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Ick!"

As the severed tentacle retreated back into the sand, Echo found Tunar staring at her, a hungry expression on his face. _Oh. . . Oh, god, I really shouldn't have done that._ A second later, however, another tentacle slapped against the deck and began to rush towards her, as if to sweep her over the railing. Echo, a quick learner, drew her swords and sliced through it.

She didn't have to worry about fighting after that, primarily because Lion-O began to hack away at Omens, treating the powerful sword as if it were nothing more than a stick. The sight almost sickened her. Before long, however, the appendages slipped below the waves, disappearing from sight. Scanning the deck, Echo peered around the carnage for the Wily twins. . . Both of whom were perched up on the sides of the railing, blowing raspberries at the retreating creature. _We have to get the kittens weapons soon_ , she though absently, _they need a way to defend themselves_.

Just as quickly as the altercation with the Ramlak had begun, it had ended. The fishmen and the ThunderCats stared at each other, and Lion-O, not skipping a beat, turned to Tunar.

"Now, where were we? Before that little _interruption_." He stalked forward, Omens held tightly in his hand, face dark and stormy. He had plenty of aggression to work out still, it seemed.

"We were discussin' how you'd be cooked," Tunar replaied easily, "But had I known you were such fine warriors, I'da gladly served ya my own first mate!"

Beaming, he grabbed Lion-O's arm and gave it a few rough, friendly pats. Lion-O stiffened, his eyes roving over Tunar, searching for deception, but Tunar grinned again.

"Listen up!" He announced, "These fine fellows are our new shipmates! Treat 'em like you would yer own scaly brothers. . . N' give the little ones some food."

Kit and Kat, easily excited at the prospect of more things to eat, jumped up in the and air and shouted, " _Food!_ "

Echo watched as the chef led them below deck, grumbling and looking quite grumpy. Echo, overprotective bear she was, wanted to follow them, but opted out at the last moment. They were resourceful and cunning, and even though the chef still looked like he wanted to eat them, she knew the kittens were more than capable of taking care of themselves. They'd demonstrated their capacity to her more than once during the two weeks they'd been together.

Tunar led Lion-O over to the mast, talking loudly as he did so.

"Aye, boyo! A fine warrior y'are. Now, tell me yer sea-farin' stories, and maybe you can tell me 'bout yer crew. . ."

Tunar glanced at her as they walked past and began to climb up to the crow's nest. Echo watched them go, whirlpools of frustration and concern rising inside of her.

Tunar was bad news. The way he'd fought, that look of insanity in his eye. . . And not to mention the fact that when he looked at her, it felt as though oil was dripping from where his eyes took her in.

"Welcome to the crew," A fish said, shoving a broom into her hands, "Time to get ta cleanin'."

"You're serious." She said. She was tired and sore and covered in Ramlak goop, and now she had to _clean?_

The fishman nodded before taking his own broom and getting to sweeping the deck.

"Jaga made you clean the cleric hall every day, didn't he? Think of it like that." Cheetara said, taking the cleanup detail in stride.

"Yeah, well. . ." She grumbled, rolling her eyes, "That was different."

"And Tygra. . . Tygra?"

Both girls turned, searching for the tiger, and eventually found him leaning over the railing and vomiting, face appearing awfully green. And honestly, Echo didn't know why his misery made her smile, but it did. She might have been terrified of the sea around them, but at least she wasn't the one getting sea sick.

* * *

 

"So, your captain, Tunar," Echo said as she ran the broom lazily over the deck, "Why do you follow him?"

She remained in the middle of the ship, fiercely determined not to wander anywhere near the sides. Just the thought of falling in terrified her. The first mate looked at her, as if trying to discern what her words meant.

"What'ya mean? He's th' Captain."

"He hasn't said anything for the fallen." Cheetara spoke up. Echo flashed her a small smile, glad somebody else was curious about whose ship they were riding on.

"He seems obsessed," Echo continued, pausing in her cleaning, "And it seems like he doesn't care about your welfare."

 _Strangely enough, that sounds like somebody I know right now. . ._ She thought, casting a glance up to the two figures sitting in the crow's nest.

"Aye," The first mate agreed, sadly, "He's no' that kind o' Captain. . . But we've lost our home. What else is there to go back to?"

That. . . That was actually a very good question. And Echo didn't have an answer for it. She was silent as she took up sweeping again, scrubbing at her face as she did so. _Ramlak gunk. Ick._

During their journey, she thought that Lion-O would stop chasing after Mumm-Ra. That he'd listen to Jaga's last words and go after the Book of Omens. But her friend was so blinded by his hate, and his rage, he'd kept them all to his dark course. Echo had followed along behind him, unwilling to leave her friend alone.

She'd felt, in those days, as if she'd been burned. Like the entirety of her insides had been replaced by ash. Cheetara had come to her aid, however, and she'd sensed a kindred spirit in the cleric. They had spent many nights on their journey telling stories of the ones that had lost their lives, and of their memories of Jaga. She'd even told the Wily twins about her time in Thundera. And, with every day that had passed, her grief had lessened. It wasn't gone, not exactly, but with each new day, that raw, scraping grit inside of her eased a little more.

Echo had realized the more time she spent remembering the happy memories, the good time she'd shared with Sunda and everyone else, the less she had wanted to sit down and grieve for them all.

It had seemed, however, that as her grief had lessened, Lion-O's surliness and rage had only seemed to escalate.

"I lost my home too," She said, quietly, "We all did."

"I can tell this is goin' to be a long talk. Let's sit down, then?"

Echo was surprised. But there the first mate was, laying down his broom. He produced food from some magical pouch on his body, and sat down, inviting the girls with him. Tygra, upon just looking at the snacks, visibly paled and ran back over to the railing again. Echo had half a mind to go rub his back, but she was starving, and eagerly seated herself on the deck and accepted the piece of jerky he passed her way.

"You're strangely amiable." Cheetara noted, accepting the food as well.

"Captain did say y'all part of the crew, now. And I can tell this isn't goin' ta go away unless we talk about it."

Echo smiled. _Smart fish._

"So, why do you follow Tunar?" She asked, chewing on the jerky.

"Tunar used to be a good Captain, lass. When the Ramlak came, he even lost his leg savin' one of the little'ns. But with every passin' day, he lost a li'l more o' his mind to that beast. We've been lookin' for it for years, now."

"That's terrible." Cheetara murmured.

"Sounds like our fearless leader. My friend is bent on revenge," She said, staring down at the deck, "And I'm worried about him."

The first mate sighed.

"Lion-O could end up like that. . ." She continued, biting the inside of her cheek.

"It's best if he doesn't, lass," The fishman said, "We all remember when our Captain was a good man. I wish he was the fish I remember."

_I don't want Lion-O to end up like that. I want him to be the friend I had. I want him to know how's stupid he's been and how much I worry about him, and I want. . ._

"Captain! Th' Ramlak!"

Echo's head snapped up, and her hands instinctively went for the hilt of her swords, waiting for the tentacles to appear. Precious seconds eased by as she looked at the boiling seas they floated above, and eventually, she found the beast. On the horizon, she could see the Ramlak, diving through the surf and heading straight into a violent, dark storm. As they neared it, she could feel the winds picking up again her, and sand began to pelt against her skin with enough force to sting.

Lion-O and Tunar were back on the deck in a heartbeat, and as her friend ran by her, Echo caught a glimpse of his face. There was a gleam, much like Tunar's, of unholy anticipation inside of it. Tunar's expression was tight, eager, and insane. Lion-O and Tunar ran to the bow of the ship, arguing, and the first mate looked as though he tried to talk some sense into them. Over the rapidly-picking up winds, however, Echo couldn't make out their words. The thunderstorm was picking up in intensity with every second that passed by, and she had a feeling the ship wouldn't survive if it plunged headfirst into the raging winds.

Lion-O sprinted away from them and jumped up to the wheel, shoving the fish manning it out of the way.

"We're going after the Ramlak!" He yelled, "Into the storm we go!"

Tunar laughed, "That's the spirit, boyo! Take command!"

He stepped up beside her, and Echo whirled on him, anger boiling in her.

"What are you thinking? Are you going to try and kill us all to take revenge on a _beast_?"

"Aye, lass! Th' Ramlak is th' only thing that matters to me! You can use that power o' yours to help-"

Echo latched onto lip of his jacket and pulled him close, forcing him to to bend as she glared at him.

"You are a _disgusting_ excuse of a leader."

Before he could move, Echo threw him away from her, and then sprinted up the steps leading to the wheel, taking them two at a time. She had to reason with Lion-O. She had to make him see the light. She didn't want her friend to wind up infected with Tunar's madness. Tygra and Cheetara were already there, and Lion-O's brother was already yelling to be heard over the winds.

"This is _madness!_ If we go into that storm, we'll die! What are you _doing?!_ "

"I'm not letting anything stand in my way!" He declared, "Not a storm, not a beast, and especially not _you_."

"Lion-O!" She cried, interjecting, "Don't you care if we die? Because we will! If you take us in there, we. Will. _Die!_ Don't do this, Lion-O!"

She reached for his hand, trying to pry him off the wheel, but Lion-O slapped it away, fangs flashing as he growled at her.

"Boyo! The Ramlak!" Tunar called out, seating himself int he large gun situated on the prow of the ship.

Lion-O didn't even look at her as jumped up, dashing across the deck. Huge rocks floated on the winds, just waiting for a chance to bash into the ship and tear it to shreds. Cheetara and Tygra drew their weapons, and Echo stood there, feeling as though her heart were being torn into bits. Again. _That stupid lion!_

"We have to stick together!" Tygra said, spreading his feet to give himself better balance. He still looked a little queasy, but like the soldier he was, he was pushing his body's needs aside.

Echo nodded, prepping to draw her own swords, but stopped as she realized that two small, pint-sized kittens were missing.

"The twins! I have to go get them!"

Tygra hesitated, as if he wanted to tell her no, but Cheetara extended her staff and whacked at a rock that had been seconds away from careening into the deck.

"We'll be right here! Tygra!"

He looked at Echo, but then nodded, gun firing as he began to obliterate the rocks. The noise was quickly drowned out as Tunar began to fire the huge cannon, and Echo paused, just long enough, to see her friend standing right on the bow of the ship, Omens flashing. Gritting her teeth, she turned, ducking through the only door leading below deck. If her friend wanted to go chase a monster, he could go chase a monster. She had kittens to look after. The sounds of the battle dimmed, but the Ramlak let out a deep groan, making the entire ship vibrate. She continued to sprint down the hallway, fearing the worst for the twins, she should never had let them out of her sight - _oh, my god. Sunda, I know how you felt now_ \- Echo head a quiet thump.

At the end of the hallway, there was there was another small staircase leading down. She the scent of cooked food and spices filled the air, and she felt a heavy weight lift off her shoulders when she heard the twins laughing. At the end of the staircase, she peeked through the doorway and found the fat chef rolling on the ground, webbed fingers clawing as his throat, his face red as a cherry.

"Kit!" She called, "Kat! Time to go!"

"Thanks for the food, mister!" Kit called over her shoulder, running to Echo and waving an arm over her shoulder.

They were safe.

What a-

The entirety of the ship trembled and quivered, and Kit toppled into her. Around them, it began to groan.

"Woah!"

"What was that?" Kat asked, tail flicking.

Echo helped to right Kit, and her eyes narrowed on the ship around them as she heard wood splintering and cracking. The Ramlak had probably grabbed the ship, or the storm was tearing it apart. She stood aside and pointed up at the staircase.

"Go! Topside, now!" She ordered.

Kit and Kat raced up the stairs, and Echo followed behind them, nearly falling as the ship buckled, and the wood began to crack. Sand began to trickle in from the walls.

"Go go go!" She urged, shoving Kit and Kat as the kittens stalled in the hallway, staring at the sand in wonder. When she forcibly spurred them back into running, they raced to the door, and as they reached it, Echo found the ship actually cracked.

It was so loud it made her ears pop and ring, and as they got to the doorway, they found that the Ramlak had, indeed, wrapped a tentacle around the middle of it and crushed it clean down the center.

"Uh oh." Kat said.

Right as the floor underneath him gave way.

Echo latched onto the back of his shirt and hooked her other hand around the doorframe, keeping him from falling in. Kit grabbed her waist, helping act as a counterweight. Kat looked positively terrified, and Echo wished more than anything she could reach down and comfort him. Her arm shook and began to burn, but she tried to pull Kat back up. The ship kept lurching and jerking underneath her, threatening to splinter into a million pieces. She tried to hoist Kit up, pull him to their shrinking safety of the door frame, but she just wasn't _strong_ enough-

Another groan, and the Ramlak wrapped a tentacle around Kat's waist.

"Kit! _Kit!_ "

The smallest tug made the kitten's fingers slip right through her own.

"Echo! Kat! Help!"

The Ramlak began to pull him down to the swirling sands underneath them, threatening to swallow him whole. His eyes grew wide with fear as it began to drag him under. She latched onto Kit to keep her from going after her brother, and her head jerked around, searching for something, _anything_ that might help her - and her eyes landed on the mast of the ship, broken and bobbing on top of the surf.

"Kat! Kat! _Kat! Ka_ -"

"Kit. Do you trust me?" She asked, words calm. The panicking kitten on her side looked up at her, tears crawling down her cheeks. She was surprised with herself - she was filled with fear and panic of her own, but there she was, asking the words as calm as calm could be.

The Wily kitten nodded her head.

"Then don't squirm."

Kit gasped as Echo picked her up with her mind, and, flinging her arm, sent the little kitten flying. Echo had to concentrate, harder than she ever had before, to keep too much of the force from gathering in one place and breaking Kit's body. The kitten's body flickered, and then, to her surprise, was highlighted with a blue aura. A moment later, the kitten landed on the mast, albeit a little roughly, and Echo turned and looked down at the kitten below her.

_I won't let you take him from me too, Fate._

Shoving her fear aside, Echo released the door frame and jumped, drawing a sword.

The Ramlak, as if sensing Echo was about to save the kitten, began to draw its tentacle down faster.

Her sword slashed through the air, severing the tentacle a moment before Kat was about to be pulled under the sand. Before the kitten could hit the sea, she shoved him with her mind, too, sending him flying to the mast. Echo just barely managed to use her telekinesis to slow her own descent, and instantly groaned as pain washed over her. Two light, airy kittens were one thing. A decidedly heavier human was another matter entirely. Her body hovered in the air, and her nose stung. Blood began to drip from it, and her head began to throb. _I can't keep myself up!_

She just barely managed to sheathe her sword before she plunged, headfirst, into the sand.

The storm was lessening, but with every movement the Ramlak made, waves formed. She fought against the tide, trying to keep her head above the surface, and something like a hysterical laugh slipped out of her. Of course she would go out like this. Choking on her own fear and drowned, not in battle or by Lion-O's side. God, this was all the lion's fault, she was going to die because of his stupidity. . . But for some reason, Echo couldn't bring herself to blame him. Even as her terror washed through her, strong and powerful, she thrashed, fighting against the hold of the sand.

She opened her mouth to call out for help, but sand filled her mouth and nose. She spluttered, spitting out the grains. Strong fatigue pulled at her, and before Echo knew it, she started to sink under the waves.

_I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry!_

Right as the sky was about to be swallowed up, a hand latched onto her own.

"I've got you!"

Lion-O grunted as he heaved her up bodily against himself, pulling her free of the sand. Echo clutched at him, breathing harsh, heart pumping frantically in her chest. She was surely hyperventilating, and her entire body was shivering. She almost felt like laughing. She'd been saved more times than she could count that day, all because she'd been paralyzed by her irrational fear of the ocean. Lion-O moved, as if to extricate himself, and Echo gripped at his armor tighter, knuckles white.

The winds were dying down all around them, and the storm, as quickly as it had emerged, was dissipating.

"Echo? Are you okay?"

Echo felt another laugh bubble up from her, hysterical and bitter.

"N-No. N-Not o-okay."

Her knees were shaking so hard they were knocking against each other. Lion-O moved, gently helping her to sit down on the mast.

"It's okay," He said, soothingly, "I've got you now. It's alright. Just sit down. . ."

She sank down onto the hard surface of the mast, and Lion-O gently pried himself away from her arms. She wrapped them around herself, instead, shaking so badly she almost fell off the thick wood. Echo could still feel the sands swallowing her up, pulling her down and into the depths-

"Echo!"

Kat was there in a heartbeat, and so was Kit. She spotted Cheetara and Tygra and an assortment of fishmen scattered on the mass and its sails. She turned to look at Kat again, not wanting to see the churning sand beneath them all.

"Are you okay? You're bleeding." He touched her lip, where blood was still trickling down.

"Why are you shaking?" Kit continued, "Echo?"

"S-Shaking. S-Scared. . ."

In a move that surprised her, Kit wrapped her arms around her. Echo gladly accepted the comfort.

She was incapable of holding herself together. She'd let somebody else keep her from falling to pieces. She saw Lion-O looking down at her, worry clearly defined on his face, but he turned away from the trio and addressed the sparse crowd.

"Hang tight!" He yelled. A harpoon fired, and a second later he was pulling a rope, to where half of the ship was still sitting, bobbing up and down in the surf. Lion-O tugged them close enough, and when the mast bumped up against the side of it, Echo finally resigned herself to having to let the kittens go. The small part of the ship was better. They'd be up higher, and out of the reach of the sand.

"G-Go." She stuttered. In any other instance, she would have been embarrassed at her speech. She hadn't stuttered this badly since she'd first entered Thundera. The kittens looked reluctant to leave her, but they did, scrambling onto the ship. As the rest of the mast's occupants began to disembark, she remained seated, body refusing to obey her.

She'd almost died. If Lion-O had been a second later, if he hadn't seen her goign under. . .

"Come on, Echo," Her friend said softly, "It's okay now."

"C-Can't s-stand." She mumbled.

A moment later his arms slid under her and lifted her up effortlessly. Echo wasn't ashamed to admit she clung to him, looking up to the mane of spiky red hair and those pretty blue eyes. For the first time since their travels had started, he didn't look plagued by hate and rage. He looked concerned and relieved and happy. Never losing balance, he stepped up onto the ship.

"Looks like Lion-O's got the-" Tygra was saying, voice loud with mirth, but Cheetara elbowed him roughly in the side.

A piece of broken timber jutted out of the side of the ship, and Lion-O gently placed her down on it, treating her as though she were made out of spun glass. Had Echo not been on the verge of a psychological break down, she would have gone beet red and been chock full of embarrassment. As it was, she sat there, feeling decidedly numb.

"T-Thanks." She mumbled. Blood was drying on her lips, and with sand plastered everywhere, she guessed she probably looked quite the sight.

"That was quite the storm you steered us into, Lion-O." Cheetara said, sitting quite comfortably on another piece of cracked timber.

Tygra looked a small bit put out as he stood next to her, arms crossed over his chest.

Beside her, Lion-O straightened, and cast his gaze to the ground, ashamed.

"It's my fault. I lost sight of what was important. I was so consumed by my hatred of Mumm-Ra that I forgot that it's my people I was supposed to be fighting for. My friends, too. I nearly got all of you killed. . . And for that, I'm sor-"

Behind them, Echo heard the sand erupt, and a deep moan rumbled the air around them. _The Ramlak_. A shadow fell over them, and Echo looked up stupidly, finding more tentacles descending, about to wrap around the both of them- Lion-O pushed her, sending her sprawling over what remained of the deck, and the tentacles wrapped around him, instead.

"Lion-O!"

Kat knelt next to her as the beast straightened up again. She stared up at it fearfully, imagining the worst for her friend.

She'd just gotten him back. The real Lion-O. And now he'd been eaten?

"Give him back you slimy sack of tentacles!" Kit yelled, waving her fist at the creature.

As if responding, the Ramlak groaned and leaned over again, more tentacles descending - but a moment later, Omens slid free of from the beast's side. Lion-O emerged from the gash, slicing through the Ramlak's hide on his way down. Echo was torn between wanting to grin in happiness, and sigh in bliss as water poured over her, finally easing the heat. Lion-O landed on the deck neatly, as though he hadn't just been eaten by a giant sea creature. Water cascaded down, and around them, the fishmen cheered as it flooded the sands. Echo watched as it washed around them, rushing towards her - and she bodily recoiled from it.

She clambered up to the highest point of the ship and clung to a piece of wood for dear life.

The waters began to calm, and she could see her reflection. She was bloodied, wide-eyed and terrified, white hair plastered to her face. Below her, Tygra laughed.

"Aren't cats supposed to be the only ones afraid of water?"

Her cheeks burned.

"S-Shut u-up T-Tygra!"

Tygra laughed so hard he bent over, and Echo recovered enough to glare down at him. she clung to that piece of wood for all she was worth, amending never to forsake land again.

* * *

 

_It was dark._

All around her, it pressed against her skin, thick and viscous. Echo opened her eyes sluggishly, trying to peer into the gloom, but it was too dark to see anything properly. It wasn't calm, nor was it peaceful. A sense of urgency filled her, an impending omen for what was to come. A moment later, two red eyes snapped open. Echo flinched back from the sight of them, but they hovered near her, quirking and looking at her, almost curiously. Then they were swirling around in the dark, faster and faster, streaking through the blackness.

She felt something pulling her down, sucking her into a dark void that made every part of her cry out in pain and fear.

Something heavy and clear slid into place over her.

Echo thrashed, crying out as years of agony and terror swept through her. A beautiful, blue light struck against the glass, spearing through her. It urged her to speak, to tell her where secret things lay hidden. To guide the way.

"Come now, don't be afraid," A voice rasped, "Show me the way. Reveal to me the secrets of this world."

No!

_Echo fought, beating her hands against the glass and the light. She wasn't going to let it end like this. Not after all this time._

_He was so_ close!

_Her power flooded through her in response, strong and potent. The glass cracked and fell away, and water cascaded around her, chasing away the darkness. Those red eyes hovered, attached to blackened-out bodies that rushed towards her, ready to fight. Echo lashed out against them, struggling to wade through the water. She twisted and turned until she found the surface and there, she could see the rippling reflection of the moon. Air was waiting for her there. She stroked for it, knowing it was just a few more feet away. . ._

She gasped and spluttered as she broke the surface, and with thrashing strokes, she forced her body to drag herself onto the beach. Her harsh breaths peppered the air around her, and water dripped from her. White hair fell in tangled strands around her face.

She looked up right as a pair of red eyes lashed out and hit her, sending her sprawling. More leaned over her, reaching down-

"Echo!"

Her eyes snapped open, and she looked around frantically, searching for red-eyed demons with black bodies - but her gaze landed on Kit. She was leaning over her, looking worried.

"You were having a bad dream."

_Yes. Yes I was._

She smiled, though it felt more like a wince, and glanced around, finding the rest of their company still asleep, with the exception of Cheetara. The cleric had gotten last watch. Echo was glad for it. She didn't want anybody to see her like this.

"Don't t-tell." She murmured.

Kit nodded, and to her surprise, fluffed out her bedroll next to her. When she got settled in, she reached out and grabbed Echo's hand.

"Don't worry, I won't. I have bad dreams I don't tell Kat about, sometimes. . . Thank you. For saving my brother."

Kit squeezed, and Echo smiled, feeling some of the rabid panic floating away. She rolled over, facing the young kitten, and her eyes reluctantly began to close again as weariness dragged at her.

 _I remember why I can't go in the water now_ , she thought as sleep claimed her again, _the demons are waiting there._


	7. Song of the Petalars

_It's about time we got a little break_ , Echo thought, letting her eyes slide shut.

Around her, the forest exuded peace. Directly in front of her, a small creek burbled along, lending a nice, meditative quality to the calm nighttime atmosphere. It had been about a week since their foray at the Sand Sea, and Echo had been more than glad to find their travels had led them to a densely packed forest. No more sand, no more heat, no more haunting fear of the ocean. Just wonderfully, deliciously calm forest. All around her, the scents of trees and plants gave off a pleasant smell, and the muted flashes given off by the fireflies made it all look like some fairy tale come to life.

_Fairy tales. . . Those sound familiar._

Seated against a tree, Echo opened her eyes and looked down at her journal, tracing her fingers over the pages. Since leaving Thundera, she'd been cataloging everything that had gone through her mind. _Everything_. Every dream, every thought, even when reality became blurred and memories surfaced. . . All of these things were like pieces to some vast puzzle, and, slowly but surely, she was beginning to collect them all. She'd be able to put them all together when the right time came along.

And then her past wouldn't be a mystery anymore.A squeal broke her from her thoughts, and she looked up, finding Kit and Kat rushing by her. Kat was chasing Kit, a Froog held tightly in his hands, and Echo grimaced at the sight of the amphibian. She'd never seen one in person before, but. . . Ick. They looked as ugly and slimy as the Thunderian texts had suggested.

"C'mon, Kit! Kiss the Froog! You love it! WilyKit loves the Froog!" Kat sang as he ran after her.

"Do _not!_ Get it away from me!" She shrieked, jumping on top of one of the thick tree roots surrounding them.

This, unfortunately, cornered her, and Kat grinned mischievously at her, holding the Froog out in front of him like a weapon. Kit looked nothing short of mortified as her brother and the Froog slowly advanced, and Echo couldn't help it - she smiled. It was amusing. _Better go save her. . . It's bedtime, anyway_.

Tucking her journal back inside of her tunic, Echo came to her feet.

"Kit, Kat," She called, "Come on, that's enough now. Let's get you two back to camp. Bedtime."

Both kittens turned to her, as if noticing her for the first time. Echo was surprised they hadn't taken note sooner - white hair like hers stood out pretty starkly against a green forest.

"But-" Kat protested, and Echo planted her hands on her hips, hoping to look somewhat stern.

"No buts. It's bedtime now."

"We're not even tired, Echo!" Kit said, hopping down from the root to land right in front of her, "How can we got to sleep if we're not even tired?"

"Yeah," Kat continued, still holding the Froog hostage, "We're not even tired. . . Hey, I have an idea! Tell us a story. We love stories!"

Echo glanced between the two of them, taking in the eager expressions on their faces.

"A story?" She repeated, slightly confused.

"Yeah! Like how the Cat army won against the lizards a really long time ago-" Kit said, eyes wide, grinning.

"Or El Dara. We really like El Dara more." Kat finished, and his sister nodded her head quickly. _  
_ _Oh, it's that treasure city._ The kittens were nothing short of enamored with it, and there hadn't been a day that had gone by that Echo wasn't regaled with tales and pictures of the legendary El Dara. She had read about it, of course. . . In mythology texts. She didn't have the heart to tell the kittens that their fairy tale land of gold was just that. . . A fairy tale.

Kit looked at her and spread her arms wide.

"But you're a human! You have to know interesting stories, don't you?"

"Kit, I've told you both a hundred times, I've lost-"

The Froog in Kat's hands let out a deep _ribbit_ , and Echo stared down at it.

For the second time in a week, the world around her faded.

The beautiful forest melted away, revealing rubble of some destroyed city. Small fires and smoke clogged the air, and in the distance, she could hear the tinny, faraway sounds of _pop pop pop_. Fights were still being waged elsewhere. Debris littered the streets, and there was blood. . . _No. Don't look at it_ , she thought, swallowing back her fear. The scene reminded her eerily of Thundera's fall, and discomfort rose inside of her at the thought of it. A heated wind brushed across her skin, and on the breeze, she heard words.

She looked up and found a cloaked figure sitting on a pile of broken concrete. The cloak was pulled low over their head, and two swords crisscrossed over her back - _it's me! That's me._

Echo could see the shadow of herself holding a somewhat large, weathered textbook in her hands. Even from the distance, she could see the pages were creased and dog-eared and fragile from time and use. She was reading from the book, brightly illustrated pictures a point of sunshine in the gloom surrounding them.

 _This is the longest a memory like this has played out_. . .

_Is it a memory?_

Echo took a step forward, hearing her footstep echo in the air around them, and the cloaked version of herself stopped reading. The phantom image of her turned, as if greeting her, the features of her face lost in the shadows of her hood, but a wide smile spread on her face.

" _It's you_ ," She said, her voice sounding just as faraway as the warfare, " _I was waiting for you to get here_ -"

"Echo?"

She blinked, and the forest was back again, Kit and Kat staring up at her.

"You okay?" Kit asked, peering up at her.

 _No. No, I'm not_. She wanted to scream in frustration. What _was_ it with fate interrupting her right when she was about to find something out? Still. . . She had another thing to record. And a story to tell. She remembered that book. More specifically, the story that had been on those pages. Tamping down on her irritation, Echo smiled, and gestured upstream, where camp laid.

"Perfectly. I'll make you a deal - I'll tell you a special story while we walk back to camp, okay?"

The kittens eagerly agreed and fell into step beside her. Kat reluctantly released his Froog hostage, and Echo watched as the six-legged creature disappeared into the depths of the shallow creek.

"A very long time ago," She started, "There lived a king and a queen. They loved each other very dearly. But, more than anything in the world, the queen wanted a child. As time went on, however, she wasn't able to conceive. One day, the queen was sitting in a secluded pond, bathing, and a slimy little Froog jumped up and said, 'I have seen your devotion, my queen, and your wish will be fulfilled. Within the year, you will have a child.' And, just as the Froog had promised, at the end of the year, she had a child. A beautiful baby girl."

"Ick, what kind of a story _is_ this?" Kat stuck out his tongue, showing his displeasure.

Kit grimaced, agreeing with him.

"Yeah, Echo, this story isn't any fun!"

Echo smiled down at them, picking her way gingerly through the forest floor.

"The king celebrated," Echo continued, "By throwing a grand party. He invited everyone in the kingdom, and never before had anyone seen such splendor. He also invited for the most powerful clerics in the land. He had special plates of gold made for the twelve clerics. . . But he'd forgotten the last one. The thirteenth cleric was an old, powerful, and mean Cat. She resented that she had not been invited.

"Eleven of the clerics blessed the baby kitten with all manners of things. Beauty, wisdom - but the thirteenth cleric burst into the hall and snarled a curse: 'when the princess turns fifteen, she shall have her hand cut on a sword, and fall down dead!' Everyone trembled at her venomous words. The king feared for his newborn child, and set to panic, but the twelfth cleric approached him and said: 'I cannot undo a fellow cleric's curse, but I have not yet made _my_ wish. If the princess cuts her hand, she will not die - she will sleep. A deep sleep, lasting a hundred years.' "

The camp was coming into view, and Echo could see the cheery light of the fire dancing in the gathering dark.

Kit grabbed her hand, tugging on it.

"What happened? Keep going!"

"Thought you said you didn't like the story?" Kat taunted. Kit glared.

"I do now! Don't mind my brother, Echo, keep going!"

She chuckled, but obliged.

"The king decreed that every sword in the kingdom be melted. Every dagger, axe. . . Every weapon. As the little Cat princess grew, she knew nothing of war, or weapons. On her fifteenth birthday, she was left alone in the palace, and heard a sound coming from one of the towers. She entered a room to find a beautiful woman wielding a sword with all of the grace in the world. 'What is that you wave around, and flashes so brightly in the light?' The princess asked. The woman turned to her and smiled, holding out the sword, 'It is a sword. Come, take it up in your hands.'

"And so the small princess did. Only, she grabbed the blade, and cut her hand on it."

"Ah-ha!" Kat proclaimed on her other side, hitting his fist in his hand, "The woman was the thirteenth cleric! That rotten Cat."

"Thought you said you didn't like the story." Kit grinned, and Kat whirled on her.

"I don't!"

"Liar! WilyKat loves the princess, WilyKat-"

"Shh. Come on, into your bedrolls. I'll finish the story there."

Echo ushered the bickering kittens around the bend, right into their campsite. Tygra was gone, having accepted first watch, and Lion-O and Cheetara were seated by the fire. Echo almost faltered as she looked, finding the cheetah's hand laying over Lion-O's, and the cleric was leaning in close.

For some ungodly reason, Echo felt a sharp twinge steal through her chest. The two ThunderCats hadn't even noticed they had walked into camp, despite the noise the kittens were making. Echo had to break her stare as Kit tugged on her arm.

"Echo! What happened? Is that the end?"

Her cheeks flushed, and Echo felt like she was a voyeur as she turned back to the kittens. Lion-O and Cheetara were sharing a moment, and there she'd been, openly staring at them. She was glad for the interruption, or she had a feeling she would have kept staring at the two. And the kiss that was sure to be happening right now. . .

"Oh, no, there's more. Come on, into the bedrolls, and I'll finish up." She forced herself to interject fake cheer into her voice, even though her throat felt like closing up.

She'd never seen Kit and Kat run so fast. Within seconds, they were laying, wrapped up and comfy, and looking at her expectantly. Echo crossed the camp to their little sleeping nook, and tucking her tunic underneath her knees, she knelt in front of them. She was glad for the distraction. She didn't want to think about that kiss between the ThunderCat king and his cleric. . .

"As the twelfth cleric foretold, the princess did not die, but slept. When the thirteenth cleric saw this, she was angry that her curse had been altered. She cast a new spell, weaving a dark and powerful magic. The entire kingdom fell into the same sleep as the princess. They would sleep forever, forgotten and alone to the world. The cleric cursed a rosebush growing outside of the princess's bedroom, forcing it to grow. Within days, the briar was so thick, it covered the entire castle. Each vine wrapped around the castle and was thick as a full-grown Cat. The thorns were thick and sharp as swords, threatening anyone who ventured near.

"The thirteenth cleric reveled in her victory. 'She will never waken,' She cried in triumph, 'nor will any of you. This is your punishment - to live forever, forgotten, as you have forgotten me!' "

 _Not quite how the story goes, but close enough_ , Echo thought. She'd had to change things. She couldn't explain to the kittens what fairies where, or what a frog was. And there most definitely hadn't been any Cats. Trying to explain these creatures and images would have been beyond difficult.

"That rotten Cat." Kat mumbled. Echo smiled.

"The princess fell into legend. She had been named Briar Rose, after the vicious thorns that had wrapped around-"

_THUMP._

Echo snapped her head up and stopped, staring into the depths of the forest.

Almost immediately, quiet had fallen. The bugs had stopped chirping, and the fireflies had stopped flashing. The night no longer felt free and inviting and peaceful - it seemed heavy and smothering, like a wet blanket. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and she felt a shiver crawl down her spine. Battle instincts began to rouse inside of her, warning her that danger lurked nearby. A moment later she heard another strong _THUMP_.

The twins jumped out of their bedrolls, looking into the depths of the forest.

"What was that?" Kit asked, tail flicking in the air behind her.

"Trouble." Kat replied.

Echo reached over and began to fluidly pack up their belongings. In less than a minute, the kitten's travel packs had been loaded and stored. From the corner of her eye, she saw the kittens scampering up a large tree, directly after a brief golden flash she'd seen. A heartbeat later, a spiky mane of red hair followed. Echo yearned to follow, but knew she'd only be a hindrance. She wasn't as quick or agile at climbing as the Cats were, and using her telekinesis to get her up would be. . . Inadvisable. To say the very least. So instead Echo set to packing up camp, practiced movements helping her get her gear stored. A moment later, Tygra dropped from the canopy, and Echo glanced over to the cat.

He looked pissed.

Cheetara alighted on the ground lightly a moment later, and Echo turned to her curiously.

"It's the entire lizard army." She informed her.

Echo reeled in shock.

"What?" She asked, staring at the cheetah, "The _entire_ lizard army?"

Lion-O landed next to her a second later, and the twins slid down the trunk of the tree, joining them. Both kittens wordlessly went over to their bags and shouldered them without being told.

"We have to move out." He said, his eyes looking. . . Pained.

Echo was still lost in shock. A battalion she could understand. Hell, maybe even two to be on the safe side. But every single lizard? Echo stood there, watching as Lion-O and Cheetara packed up their meager belongings, and in the distance, she could hear more muted _thump thumps_. Technology. _This isn't good, we're so outgunned. What are we going to do?_

Tygra bristled, a barely-suppressed snarl on his face.

"ThunderCats do _not_ retreat!" Tygra barked, eyes narrowing as he glared at his younger brother.

"If we stay here," Lion-O shot back, "We die. We're leaving." His words sounded stern, as though daring his brother to challenge him. But Echo saw him take a peek down at Omens, uncertainty flashing through his eyes.

Echo understood in that moment. Omens hadn't connected to him like it normally had. The past week, Lion-O had been steeped in. . . Despair? Was that the right term for it? She didn't know. They had set off for the Book of Omens, but she'd seen how Lion-O had stared off into the night, had watched him when he let his guard down. It had been hopelessness mixed with despair and anguish. Echo had wanted, more than anything, to reach out and speak with him, but she hadn't known how.

How ironic was that? Her best friend had sat beside her, mere inches away, on so many occasions, but it had felt as though a gaping canyon had separated them.

Lion-O had lost hope. He had pulled himself away from the sticky mire of revenge, and had only turned into a hollow shell of a leader shortly thereafter.

 _If you don't trust yourself to lead us_ , Echo had wanted to say, _then how can we trust you?_

Tygra snarled, and Echo shook her head, shouldering her pack.

"We are _not_ cowards!" Tygra pressed.

Lion-O got to his feet and whirled on his brother, gauntlet catching in what remained of the firelight as Cheetara kicked dirt over it.

"With a situation this hopeless, I'll make an exception." Lion-O bit, staring down his brother.

 _At least some things never change,_ Echo thought, staring between them. Lion-O may have lost hope, but he and Tygra still butted heads.

"Hope comes from _action_ ," He said, looking as though he wanted to sock Lion-O a good one in the jaw, "Don't you remember? That's what father told us!"

Lion-O's eyes visibly darkened, clouding over with anger. He took a step forward, rage playing over his body, and Tygra started forward, hands forming fists at his sides. Echo bounded between them and laid a hand on their chests, jumping in front of them before anything could get out of hand. Both cats looked down at her in surprise, and Echo pinned a stern gaze onto Tygra, and then Lion-O.

"Argue later. Lion-O's right, Tygra. We need to move. If we stay here, we'll die. Let's _go_."

Both of them leaned against her, waging battles with their anger, but eventually Lion-O turned and began to walk away. Tygra shook her, dislodging her hand, and gave her a fierce glare of his own.

"You can't take his side, Echo, not all the time-"

"Talk and run!" Cheetara said, urging the kittens into a sprint. Echo turned and followed after the cleric. They all settled into a sprint, and Tygra fell into step beside her, opening his mouth to give her a piece of his mind, but Echo beat him to it.

"I know," Echo said, "I get it. I _know_. But it _is_ hopeless. Lion-O doesn't have any faith in himself. We'd all die in a matter of minutes."

Tygra looked at her, anger turning to calculating, and then he turned away from her entirely.

"It's no excuse to run." He muttered under his breath. Despite the severity of the situation around them, Echo flashed him a cheeky smile.

"Wounded pride, uh?"

A growl was her response.

During the course of their argument, the lizard's tech had gotten louder and louder, and the need to be faster, to elude the danger, was making Echo's skin crawl. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was breathing heavily - another thing she'd never best a Cat at. Running. She did her best, determined not to fall behind or pose a hindrance to the group. A stitch was beginning to develop in her side, but she didn't say anything, trying her best to run. . . But it was quickly becoming apparent that their group wasn't going to outrun the lizards.

A glen spread before them, and Echo ducked underneath a thick tree branch, grateful for the momentary opening. She wouldn't have to duck and weave underneath all of the massive tree roots, she wouldn't have to risk getting tangled in the undergrowth. As she entered the clearing, however, she was taken back by the huge dome of thorns that stood before her. Echo stared, absolutely spellbound at the thorn structure before them. Absolutely _massive_ thorns jutted out, warning away intruders.

"They won't be able to follow us in there." Lion-O said.

He was pointing. She followed his finger and found a tiny, cramped opening set into the rose bush. Beside her, Tygra visibly rippled in anger.

"You're asking us to, what," He snarled, "Hide among the brambles and wait for the lizards to just walk away? Lion-O, this is _not_ how we'll win the war!"

"I'm not asking." Lion-O replied coolly. Before Tygra could get another word in edge-wise, he made for the opening. Cheetara gave Tygra a look as she shepherded the kittens inside after Lion-O, and Echo stood there another moment, still awestruck at the vines.

A moment later, and Tygra grabbed at her arm and began to forcibly drag her.

"You may be King," The tiger snapped, "But I'm still older than you!"

Again, another smile brightened up Echo's face.

_Tigers and their pride._

* * *

 

 

Echo had to thank every holy deity on Third Earth she wasn't claustrophobic. Hydrophobic, yes, but that was another fear for another time. She wouldn't have lasted in the briars. The thorns and vines pressed deeply against them, creating a sharp, cramped environment. What little light the moon gave off had dimmed, and then dissipated altogether as the brambles quickly swallowed it up. Echo picked her way over the vines gingerly, determined not to get cut to ribbons. Ahead of her, she could see Lion-O using Omens to clear the way, hacking and slashing at the roots.

The sight of it pained Echo, and made her heart sink.

He was treating Omens like some hunk of metal! Omens was so much _more_ than that and-

_Why am I thinking like this again?_

_. . . Because I have a connection to Omens._

She almost stumbled as the thought, but quickly regained her footing, ignoring a soft warning from Cheetara to watch her step. Her mind whirled as the thought processed itself. She traced it back to Thundera's fall, when she'd taken up Omens in her hands. She'd felt something, then, something that she hadn't been able to explain. . . But if was almost as though the sword were sentient, and it fed off of the emotions of its master.

Which explained a lot, actually.

Why she'd been able to just _know_ why it hadn't worked when he had been using it against the Ramlak, and even now, when the jewel sat in the crossguard, dead as a doornail. And when Mumm-Ra had looked at her, equally as surprised that she had been able to wield the weapon. _But why did he call it War?_

"Okay, Echo," She whispered to herself, "Just stop. You're not-ow!"

She snatched her hand back, sucking in air through gritted teeth as pain began to grow. Echo grimaces as she looked down at her right hand, and found a nice cut there, framed by several smaller thorns. Blood welled in the cuts, and began to drip over the sides of her palm. Great. Just what she'd needed. Now she was bleeding, and injured and-

Hands grabbed her own, eliciting a fresh wave of pain. Echo hissed again, and glared at Tygra.

"You are the clumsiest human I know." He griped, but produced a roll of bandages from a pack on his leg. Echo tried to tug her hand back, but he held her wrist firmly, refusing to let go.

"It's not - ah! - my fault, I just - ow! - wasn't looking."

"Stay _still_." He ordered, staring at her hand intensely.

He was picking out the tiny thorns with ease, using his claws like tweezers. A few seconds passed, and he inspected her hand, examining his handiwork, before he set to wrapping bandages loosely around it. Kit appeared at Echo's side, scaring a good three years off of her life. The kitten looked at her, and then at Tygra, and then to her hand, and her face brightened.

"Briar Rose! It's perfect!"

"What? N-No! No, Kit, no!"

The kitten didn't know the end of the story.

How Briar Rose was finally freed from her curse. . .

"Briar Rose?" Tygra asked, and Echo looked at him again. He was still holding her hand in his own, and Echo stared, images flashing through her mind. Her, falling over, enchanted in sleep, and Tygra, leaning over, cupping the back of her head and-

Echo yanked her hand back and her cheeks heated. She felt like she was running a fever as she turned, hustling Kit along.

"A bedtime story for the kittens. Kit. . ."

The kitten protested, but Echo ushered her along as they hurried to catch up with the others. Lion-O had paused, having found a semi-passable trail through the brambles, and looked at her curiously. Echo hoped he didn't notice the furious blush on her face as she pushed Kit forward and muttered, "cut my hand."

Lion-O might have said something as she passed him, but if he did, Echo ignored it vehemently. She'd chalk up her blush to allergies. Lots and lots of suddenly-accrued allergies. Kit finally danced out of her hold, and whirled around, facing Echo.

"What was that for?" She demanded.

Echo spluttered, trying to come up with a good reason, but as the seconds wore on, she continued to stutter-

And then she paused.

"Well?" Kit demanded, "Why did you-"

"Shh." Echo murmured, placing a hand over the kitten's mouth. At first, Kit was outraged, but Echo finally wrestled her into her hold, and kept a hand firmly clamped over the girl's mouth. She felt Kit opening her mouth, and knew a tongue was imminent, but she paused, her ears perking up. Echo let her hand fall away, and Kat joined them, ears standing at attention.

"Hey, I hear it too!"

The kittens led the way, drawn by this new sound, and Echo followed close behind them. The humming got louder, and quickly morphed into the most beautiful, intricate song Echo had ever heard. She and the kittens approached a small light, guarded by thick briars. Leaning against it carefully, Echo peered into the light, and sucked in a sharp breath, shocked. Before her. . . Before her was something she just couldn't describe.

Tiny people stood in a circle, swaying and singing. A stump laid in the middle of their circle, and a withered-looking plant person was laying a tiny seed inside of a cotton-filled walnut shell. Fireflies danced around them, and a gentle light emanated from pores that swirled about in the air. _If this isn't a fairy tale, I don't know what is_. A golden gauntlet rested next to her hand, and Echo was about to turn before she felt Lion-O pressing up behind her, ducking slightly to see into the little glen. Another flush developed on her face, and she was a second away from asking the lion to kindly relocate - but there wasn't anywhere for him to go.

Cheetara, Tygra, and the kittens had taken over the other available space, and unless somebody wanted to contort and twist their spine and lay over thorns, she'd have to deal with it. _He has feelings for Cheetara, stop freaking out so much about it._

Still.

It didn't do anything to quell her heart. It was beating in her chest like a frightened bird, and she remembered the dreams, the times they'd spent together, and her heart was aching in her chest. _Stop it, stop it, you've really got to stop it_.

She shifted her weight, trying to edge out, get away from Lion-O, but her foot landed on a twig, and it snapped. Quite loudly.

The song broke off as the plant people gasped, startled, and turned to them all. Echo could see the fear in their eyes, and she bit the inside of her cheek, ashamed.

"What are you? I've never seen people like you before! Are you from here, in the briar? What's that in your hand? Did you make it?"

Echo blinked and stared down at a tiny plant. Fearlessly, he had climbed through the thorns and was staring at Omens. The child was talking breathlessly, hardly pausing to take a breath as he continued. He ascended the briars and grabbed a strand of Echo's hair, looking into her eye.

"You're not the same as the others, are you some kind of pet?"

The small child slid down her hair and jumped back onto the thorns, before stopping in front of the gauntlet and letting out a surprised gasp.

"What's that red crystal? It's pretty! It's the same color as your hair! Why _are_ you covered in hair, an-"

Echo watched as Lion-O reached forward and covered the kid's mouth with his pinky finger, gently, so as not to knock him down.

"Okay," Lion-O said, amusement in his voice, "Slow down. You sound like _me_ when I was your age."

Echo couldn't help herself. She laughed. She hadn't known Lion-O into his childhood, but she knew full well that, as a teenager, he hadn't stopped asking questions. Hell, even Tygra and Lion-O both laughed at the joke, and as Echo sighed happily, she found the race of plant people beginning to relax, the fear in the atmosphere dispelled almost immediately. More of the plants waved for them, beckoning for the group to enter the glen, and Echo accepted happily.

The plants ushered them to sit down and make themselves at home, and although the thought of the lizards lingered in the back of her mind, Echo was grateful for the break. Again.

"We are the Petalars," Said one of the elderly plants, after they'd all seated themselves, "And we come from a far-off paradise called the Garden. One day, a terrible wind, like none recorded in all our history, whipped through our homeland and swept up our entire race, carrying us across the sky and bringing us here, to Briar Woods. And here we have remained, stranded, for generations."

 _I guess a wind swept us to you, too_ , Echo thought. More of the children crawled into her lap, and Echo watched as the Petalars used her knees as a springboard. Their leaves caught the air, giving them a gentle parachute to ride down to the ground. She could imagine what it was like to be caught in a torrent and carried away from your only home.

"Generations?" Tygra parroted, "Is the Wood so big that you couldn't find your way in all this time?"

"We've got a map!" The first Petalar to greet them interrupted, "It's very, very old. But it will lead us out of the Briar and to the Cliff of Winds! If we can find it, we'll be able to ride the winds all the way home! And I'll go down as a hero! Emerick, hero of the Petalars!"

Echo watched as Lion-O's expression softened, and compassion stole through him. She knew that look before. She'd seen it many a time when he regarded his people in the slums.

The King held his hand out and gently picked up the map.

"We'll help you," He said softly, "And together, we're both going to find a way out of here, Emerick. I promise."

Around them, the Petalars exploded into cheers. Emerick, ecstatic at the news, grabbed onto a lock of Lion-O's mane and began to swing back and forth, a bright grin on his face.

"Hooray for Lion-O! He'll be our hero too!"

Tygra griped behind her, but Echo ignored him. Because. . . Because in Lion-O's eyes, she could see the beginnings of hope stirring again. And even with the impending threat of Mumm-Ra and his army, Echo wanted to cherish that look in his eyes.

It was refreshing to see that spark of hope again.

* * *

 

"It's okay!" One of the Petalars assured her, "This won't hurt a bit!"

Echo nodded her head.

The Petalars, upon seeing her bandaged hand, had asked to see the injury. Echo had been hesitant, weary of infection, but after a few coaxing smiles, she had relented. The bleeding had stopped, but she still had a decent cut over her hand, and the dark red stains stood out starkly against the white bandages. Several of the Petalars touched the blood in awe, but even more stood atop her palm and were humming. Within moments, pollen spores dotted the air, letting off a serene glow. They fell onto her skin (which made her spine stiffen - had they never heard of infections?), and within moments, the pain began to wash away, replaced with a pleasant warmth.

And, much like the magic the clerics had once commanded, the wound began to seal shut.

"Echo? You look kinda sleepy."

"What?" She turned and found Kat grinning next to her.

"You're now officially the rose princess - you're Briar Rose!"

 _Oh, not you too._ She leveled a finger at Kat's face, giving a stern glare.

"I am _not_ a princess, and keep it up, and I won't tell you how the story ends."

Kat gave her a pout, and opened his mouth to say something, but the Petalars on her hand gave a quiet titter.

"You're a princess?" Said one.

"And you didn't tell us?" Said another.

"Oh, but your hands are so calloused! And you have swords! You must be a fearsome warrior princess indeed. A Princess of Roses! So beautiful, but your thorns are so deadly!" Another sighed. More of the Petalars tittered on her hand, exchanging exciting gossip on how they had just healed a wound belonging to a warrior princess. Echo suppressed a groan as she gently got to her feet, holding the Petalars in her hand.

"Hey, slackers, come on. Time to move out." Tygra announced.

Echo began walking, Kit and Kat at her sides, and Tygra brought up the rear. At first, she was hesitant to walk quickly, fearing she might step on Petalars, but they were much quicker than she'd given them credit for. The Petalars she was holding, a trio of girls, hopped up her arm and seated themselves on her shoulder.

"Hey, show the Princess respect!" One of them scolded.

". . . Princess?" Tygra repeated.

Echo coughed lightly.

"So, how about a bit more of the story now, yeah?"

"Yes!" Kit and Kat cried ecstatically.

"Where was I again. . .?" She asked, trying to jog her memory.

"The cleric made the rosebush wrap around the castle, and the vines buried everything!" Kat rushed, nearly tripping over his words in a bid to get them out.

"Ah, yes, I remember now. Let me see. . . The princess was asleep. She had been sleeping for many years. She never aged, and, unlike everybody in the palace, she was aware. In her dreams, she could see the landscape of her kingdom, and she wept bitterly at everything the cleric had done. The princess could not wake from her enchanted sleep, so she sought out somebody who could. The princess gathered up her strength and entered the dreams of neighboring princes. In them, she begged for them to save her. 'Come to me,' She told them, 'There is a castle forgotten among the thorns. I am inside. Please, wake me. I will marry you.' And so, the princes of many lands came to her aid-"

"What kind of a story _is_ this?" Tygra grumbled.

Kat gave him a vicious "Shhh!"

"-but all met with failure. One prince stumbled into the briar, was caught fast, and he died. Others tried, but all met the same fate. With every prince, every drop of blood, the thorns grew longer and sharper, feeding off of the princess's despair. She kept trying, over the years, but the bones of the failed princes lingered on the very edge of the briar patch, warning them away. The years continued to fall away, and the princess lost hope that she would ever be rescued. She feared she would be forced to sleep forever, lost among the vines and thorns. And the years kept passing her by."

That wasn't at all how the story went, but Echo was having far too much of a time relating to Briar Rose. _More like I keep imagining Lion-O in her place. . ._

"That's a pretty morbid story." Tygra said from behind her, and Echo smiled.

"Yeah, that can't be the end, can it? It can't!"

Echo opened her mouth to say that it most certainly was _not_ , but the sharp screech of a bird cut her off. With Petalars on her, it was impossible to drop and roll, but she bent forward as a bird swooped overhead and left a harsh wind it its wake. Echo braced herself against it, shielding the trio of Petalars on her body, and looked up to find Lion-O racing past, concern and worry on his face.

"Emerick! _Fight back!_ " He yelled, giving chase. Echo's heart dropped to the ground. The bird was quickly growing farther and farther away, and she had to tamp down on the urge to go chasing after the bird herself. Emerick was a kind, energetic Petalar. He didn't deserve to be eaten by some overgrown vulture! Much as she longed for it, however, she knew. . . Lion-O had to do it. Emerick and he had taken after one another quite well, and that stirring of hope in Lion-O's eyes. . . This was something her friend had to do.

_No matter how painful it gets. . ._

The thought surprised her, and she mentally shook her head. _It's the Briar Rose story. The morbid factor is rubbing off on me. Ugh._

The group came to a standstill, waiting for Lion-O to return, and, thank everything holy, they hadn't had to wait long. The ThunderCat king appeared on the trail a moment later, with. . . Emerick? It didn't look like Emerick, however. Emerick was a child. And the Petalar running in front of Lion-O was most certainly older.

"I'm back!" The Petalar chirped, "It's been so _long!_ "

Echo stared in disbelief as the Petalar. . . Emerick. . . Rejoined his fellow plants. Lion-O came to a stop beside Tygra, the kittens, and Echo, and Echo looked at her friend, trying to discern his emotions. He appeared as lost as she felt, if that were at all possible. The Petalars on her shoulders eagerly hopped off, using their leaves as parachutes, to go and welcome Emerick on the ground.

"As an ancient Thunderian philosopher once said," Cheetara said, bending down to let a small Petalar bounce out of her hands, " 'time is relative.' This child was just a seed _hours_ ago. Their entire existence seems to pass in the course of a single day. But from their perspective-"

"It's a lifetime." Lion-O breathed.

Echo stared at the three Petalars that had been on her shoulders, and realized with a start hey had been part of the group of children that had been jumping off of her knee. But. . . When had they. . .? She couldn't have looked away from them for more than a few seconds. _Unlike Briar Rose, they grow old, wither, and die. How an entire day must feel to them. . . Like years to Rose._

Echo couldn't process it. The Petalars began to march forward again, eager to get to the Cliff of Winds, and Tygra, disappointed in their lack of progress, hawked the leaf-map from Cheetara and took point. As they resumed their trek, Echo simply walked, still trying to absorb the fact that Petalars were rapidly aging around her. She and the ThunderCats must have seemed like godly beings, giant and tall and able to live entire lifetimes.

"Are we making _any_ progress?" Cheetara asked, a few minutes later.

"If the map is meant to lead us into every single thorn bush, then _yes_ , we're doing _great!_ " He replied, chipper, with sarcasm dripping from every word.

_Leave it up to Tygra. . ._

"My old nemesis! We meet again!" Emerick shouted, and Echo looked up to find the bird swooping down again. As it landed, she finally got a good look at it, and realized just _what_ it was. A Hatulre**. _No wonder it's so quiet! That's why it was able to sneak up on us so many times!_

Emerick appeared to be faring quite well, until the bird lashed out with its tail and knocked the sword from his hand. Echo grabbed the hilt of her sword, about to rush in and save Emerick, but that feeling stopped her a second time. Her fingers tightened, her muscles aching so badly to draw the sword from its sheathe, but she. . . She couldn't. It wasn't her fight. This wasn't her lesson to learn. Almost numbly, her hand fell from the hilt, and a moment later, Lion-O deflected the bird away with Omens, chasing it off.

As the Hatulre flew away, Emerick ran up to him, anger on his face.

"What are you doing?!" He demanded, angry, "I _had_ him!"

"That was dumb, Emerick!" Lion-O turned down to the Petalar, sheathing Omens, "You could've gotten hurt!"

"You're not the boss of me, so don't tell me what to do!" The young Petalar shouted angrily, and before anybody could stop him, disappeared into the thick thorn bushes around them.

"Teenagers." Lion-O muttered, shaking his head and sighing.

"Hey pot. Kettle says hi." Echo said, hoping to liven the atmosphere.

Lion-O stared at her, completely at a loss for words, and Echo laughed. The dumbfounded expression made the joke worth it.

"He'll be back, Lion-O," She continued, "Don't worry."

In response, the lion turned and began to walk again.

 _Teenagers_ , Echo thought, slightly exasperated.

* * *

 

Sometime during their walk, the sun had risen. And, unbeknownst to Echo, it had begun to fall. The entirety of the day was slipping away through her fingers, and she hadn't even noticed. Despite the lack of sleep, she felt oddly. . . Energized. She decided to stock that up to the pollen that had been used to heal her hand. Who knew what kind of weird side effects it could have on a human? Still, as their trek continued through the endless Woods, more and more of the Petalars were falling down and dying.

A sad event in their parade to their salvation.

The kittens were ahead of her with Tygra and Cheetara, trying to find the correct way with the map, which seemed ultimately fruitless. Lion-O had fallen into step with her some time ago, and the pair of them walked on in silence. Echo looked over when she heard him heave a tired sigh.

"What's the point of it all?" He asked, eyes dropping to the ground, "Kingdoms rise and fall. . . Lifetimes come and go. . . are any of us here long enough to make a difference?"

Echo bit her lip. Hard. Words, soothing and comforting, kept wanting to leave her, but she couldn't. She _couldn't_. One of her hands, the one closest to Lion-O, crept behind her back, where she grasped the bottom of her sword sheathe. If she let go, she'd touch him. She'd wrap him up in a hug and tell him everything would be alright. But that. . . She couldn't.

"You sound like and old man, talking like that." Emerick said.

Echo was grateful for the save. She turned and found Emerick emerging from the shadows of the thorn bushes. The clock on his life was quickly running out, Echo noticed, and she was sad for it. Gone was his youth. . . And here he was, a man. _He'll die. When night falls. We don't have much time left. . ._

"Emerick?" Lion-O asked, hesitation in his voice.

"With so many great adventures ahead of us, we still have a chance to make our marks." The Petalar said, walking in front of them. "Come on. We have to find the Cliff of Winds."

Echo knows the smile on Lion-O's face is filled with bittersweet knowledge. He must have been well aware that he was watching his friend die.

"Yes, my friend," Lion-O said gently, "Many adventures, I hope."

Emerick grinned up at him before he turned, and stopped.

"It can't be!" He exclaimed.

With surprising speed, he ran forward and snatched the leaf-map out of Cheetara's claws. His entire body began to tremble with excitement.

"This is it!" He says to the growing Petalar crowd around him, "The gateway to the Cliff of Winds! Once we get through this pass, we'll be free!"

The Petalars cheer, and Emerick led them forward as they rushed to enter a gateway. Echo felt excitement and relief coursing through her. Finally. _Finally!_ They'd found the Cliff of Winds, and Emerick and the Petalars would be able to return home.

"Then let's go!" Lion-O agreed. Echo smiled, happy to hear a cry of the old Lion-O in his voice, the friend she knew, full of hope and a sense of adventure. He wasn't there yet, but. . . When the Petalars got home, he would be.

The King picked up his pace, eager to be with Emerick, but the wind next to Echo shifted, and a laser streaked through the air and struck him in the back. Lion-O let out a pained cry as he fell, and Echo felt her heart seize in her chest.

"Lion-O!" Echo cried. She wanted, more than anything, to be at her friend's side, and it took everything she had to turn away from him. Her hands wrapped around the hilts of her swords, and she drew them, whirling around to face their attacker. On the wall, a lizard decloaked himself, chuckling, and fired off a few more rounds. Using her blades, she deflected them, dancing out of the way. Behind her, Echo could hear the sounds of a scuffle, and the twins crying out in pain- oh god, that sound was like a knife to the heart.

"Last pet standing," The lizard sneered, "Or maybe not!"

She didn't have time to question what he was chuckling at. One moment, Echo was standing, and the next, a heavy weight crashed against her back and sent her sprawling on the ground. The wind left her in a noisy rush, and she laid there, wheezing and coughing as she tried to suck air back in. A giant mammoth of a lizard stepped on her, heavy foot landing on her back, and he ground his heel into her, keeping her from breathing- Echo dropped her swords, and the pressure lessened. She cracked open her eyes and saw the lizard with the invisibility shield leaning down, grabbing Lion-O's mane and grinning in his face.

"You were fools to try and outrun your fate!"

 _We were. We shouldn't have run, now we're going to die, alone in the thorns, forgotten_ -

"Outrun this!" A voice cried.

Echo's eyes widened when she realized it was Emerick. _Emerick_.

"N-No-!" Her small protest was cut short as the lizard on top of her leaned down and crushed her chest to the dirt.

She watched in horror as the cloak-carrying lizard whipped his tail, sending Emerick tossing and turning in the dirt. _All the Petalars are going to die, and it's all our fault, I'm sorry-_

"Leave the Princess alone!" An old voice declared. The lizard above her reeled, coughing and hacking, and Echo found the pressure on her chest eased. Within moments, Cheetara and Tygra were back on their feet, using the Petalars as a distraction. Though her head was spinning, Echo snatched up her swords and slashed at her captor. The mountain of a lizard fell backward with a noisy crash, and Echo dropped to her knees again, breathing in deeply, her lungs feeling as though they were on fire.

Around her, glowing pollen floated, turning from a mustard yellow to a serene blue, and her throat and lungs seemed to relax in her chest as she breathed in the tiny spores. It took her a moment. A long, long moment, but when she figured out what was happening, tears pricked at her eyes. The three blue pollen lights began to fade away, and Echo reached out and touched them tenderly with her hand.

"Thank you." She whispered.

In another moment, and the three little spores were gone. Swallowing back against a lump in her throat, Echo got to her feet, able to breathe again, and flipped her swords in her hands. They were out of time. The lizards had found them.

"Now, the Cliff of Winds awaits!" Emerick shouted.

Echo brought up the rear as the Petalars raced through the sword fern gateway, and when she emerged through the other side, she was greeted with crestfallen expressions.

"There's no wind." Kat said, confusion in his voice.

Beside him, Kit licked her finger and stuck it up in the air.

"Or winds. Just more woods."

The golden orange glow around them fell away completely as night set around them. Echo looked at all of the faces of the Petalars, and the despair hanging in the air was almost tangible.

"Maybe I misread the map," Tygra offered, looking at the leaf a second time.

"Or. . . Maybe. . . There _is_ no Cliff of Winds," Lion-O interjects, taking the leaf-map from his brother's hands and staring at it, depressed, "Maybe the map is a lie. But why?"

On the ground before him, Emerick turned to look up at Lion-O.

"Perhaps our forefathers wanted to provide us with hope? Hope so we'd never stop looking for our way back home."

"Is that all hope is, then?" Lion-O shakes his head, "An illusion?"

 _Maybe. . . Maybe it is_. Echo stared at the ground, trying to push aside her own sorrow, the three Petalars that had called her Princess. . . Something glowing hit the ground near her foot, and she looked up, just in time to see embers beginning to fall, and a heavy smoke clouding the air around them. The orange glow returned, along with the hot, dry heat of a fire.

"This are about to get a little more hopeless!" Tygra offered. Echo wanted to snap at him, because then and now most definitely was _not_ the place for cynicism, but Emerick hopped up to his feet, glee on his face.

"We have to go towards the flames! Can you feel it, Lion-O? Do you know what this is?"

Echo paused, and felt the air stir, blowing hot and burning into her face, but she understood.

"The updraft." She murdered.

"It's creating _wind!_ " Lion-O said, understanding dawning on him.

"This si why you never give up hope!" Emerick proclaims, confidence ringing in his voice, "We're going home!"

Echo busied herself, as did everybody in the clearing, to help the Petalars climb on top of a broken tree stump. One by one, they hopped into the air, spread their leaves, and used the updraft from the fire to sail through the opening in the dome above them. Sweat began to drip down her face as the heat increased, but Echo strove to remain calm, helping each of the Petalars onto the stump and into the air. The number began to dwindle, and eventually trickled to a select few.

Task finished, she turned. . . And her heart sank a second time.

What little Petalars remained began to sing and glow, chanting a final goodbye for Emerick. Echo managed to turn around just in time to see the Petalar collapse in on himself, breathing out an airy sigh as his leaves floated up, swirling around the embers. . . And it was beautiful. Lion-O straightened from his crouch, back to the group, and Echo moved over to the twins, whom were openly sobbing. She spread her arms and they clutched at her, tears streaking down their cheeks. Above them, the Petalars glowed from the light of the fire and moon, and the small plant people shouted their goodbyes and thanks. Another song carried itself on the wind, and despite the fire, Echo looked up and smiled.

She'd be lying if she said she didn't cry.

"What now?" Tygra asked.

"We can try to find another way out of this briar." Cheetara supplied, adjusting her bad on her shoulder.

"Retreat?" Lion-O echoed.

Echo looked at him, and a smile spread on her face. She knew that tone.

He was back.

"ThunderCats never retreat," Lion-O stated, wiping the tears from his eyes before turning back to them, "I say we face the lizards. . . and hope for the best." He flashed them a trademark, cocky, confident, 100%-Lion-O smile. Echo felt relief flowing through her. _This_ was the Lion-O she had known. The one that was needed to lead his people.

"We're all leaves passing in the wind - here, and then gone. But while we're here, we live to the fullest!" Grabbing the hilt of Omens, the sword extended as he drew it, rasping against the metal gauntlet with deadly intent.

Power crackled through the air, and Echo could almost _hear_ the sword cry out in joy. Her friend - the King - was back to normal. He was fighting for his people - no, no that wasn't right. He was fighting for Third Earth.

"Thunder! Thunder! _Thunder! ThunderCats, HO!_ "

The energy around them condensed, spiraling up into the sky, projecting the ThunderCat insignia. Echo closed her eyes as she felt Omens thrumming in the air around them. _You will not destroy me_ , it seemed to whisper, _for I am hope incarnate_.

Echo heard the whine of Tygra's laser gun as he powered it up, and she drew her swords as he aimed it at the wall, and blew a hole in it.

"Stay behind me!" She urged to the kittens, and began to run, rushing out with the ThunderCats. Mech units stared down at them, unguarded as the lizards lounged about. _Worst mistake ever_. They were completely taken by surprise as the ThunderCats rushed to greet them, all weapons and fury. The element of surprise didn't last for very long, however, as one of the lizards finally managed to clamber into a mech unit, and within moments, the high-powered laser was being fired at them.

Echo was on the offensive _and_ defensive. The kittens were behind her, and she ruthlessly took out any lizard that so much as dared to point a gun in their direction. But there were too many lizards, too much technology, and, as she'd noted last night, they were severely outgunned.

"Regroup!" Tygra shouted.

Echo was by his side in a heartbeat, spreading her stance wide to protect the kittens as much as possible. The ThunderCats stood at her back, but Echo knew they didn't stand a chance. From behind her, she felt a hand grab onto her tunic at the small of her back.

"Echo. . . How did the story end?" Kit asked.

"A prince arrived," She murmured, "Strong and resolute. He had hope. He had no fear. He approached briars and commanded them to part-"

"There are too many of them." Lion-O bit out.

"-and they did. Roses bloomed, and not a thorn dared touch him-"

"Father would have been proud of your bravery, Lion-O."

"-he made it through the briars, but the cleric appeared, angry that somebody dared to dispel her curse-"

"A glory I'm honored to share with all of you." Lion-O's smirk was evident in his voice.

"-but he took up a sword, and fought her. Her powers fed on fear and hopelessness - she had no power over him-"

"My service to the crown has always been a cherished privilege." Cheetara said respectfully.

Above them, the canons were whirring to life as four mech units aimed their guns at them. They'd be obliterated in a heartbeat.

"-so he ran her through with his sword. She died. The prince ran up to the princess's tower. . ."

A mech leaned over, placing a hand on the ground to give it extra support, and Echo held her swords up, determined to shield the twins until the very end.

". . . And he-"

A shot rang out in the night, hitting the mech in the side. Echo recoiled in shock as it exploded, and a deep, guttural roar filled the air. More shots streaked from the darkness, hitting more of the mech units. The lizards, completely taken aback by this turn of events, began to run into the forest.

"Hold you positions, _you MISERABLE COWARDS!"_ The unmistakable voice of Slithe bellowed out across the battlefield as he tried to rally his troops together, but panic and chaos had claimed them. From the forest, a. . . A _thing_ shot out, intimidating and formidable.

"What is that thing?" Tygra asked, staring at it in shock.

"It's a tank!" Echo said - she. . . She remembered! She'd seen them before, of that she was positive. But where? How?

_Why is it everything I remember is only about fighting, death, and blood?_

In a rather showy move, the tank used an explosion to go airborne, flip around, and flank them. It landed on the ground, shuddering from the impact, and behind it, the last mech blew up, as if on cue. Echo stood in front of the twins, Kit still clutching to the back of her tunic.

"Hope that's on our side!" Kit said fearfully.

The hatch to the tank popped open, and a figure emerged, highlighted by the moon. Echo stood, swords out in front of her, prepped for this newcomer to begin attacking - something in his hands flashed - a pair of nunchucks - and smacks against a hissing, invisible lizard. The creature fell to the ground, defeated, and Echo stared up in awe at the face she saw.

It's a Cat. A huge Cat. A beast of a Cat.

"Who are you?" She asked, the words leaving her breathlessly.

"Name's Panthro." He said, voice deep.

Echo stared, and then looked at the wreckage he'd strewn about him.

_Okay, I give. You can be my prince tonight._


	8. Old Friends

"Mrrphrnf!"

"Hush." Echo admonished, her face twisted into a mixture of concentration and determination.

Beneath her, a certain WilyKat was twisting and wriggling in her grasp. Her arms were aching as she struggled to keep the kitten in her hold. Kat writhed, slippery as an eel, and Echo honestly had no idea how she managed to keep a hold on him for so long. She was scrubbing his face with the edge of one of her fabric panels - the kittens were covered in soot and dirt, and without any cloths, she'd had to improvise.

Kit had borne her face cleaning with grace.

Kat had not taken to it nearly as kindly.

Around them, the ruins of the forest stretched. . . Charred, broken, and bare. The skeletons of trees stretched upwards to the sky, which, ironically enough, was a bright, crystal blue. _Odd, how welcoming it is after last night_. The desperation and urgency they'd all faced seemed like some bad, distant nightmare. The early morning sun was shining down, spreading warmth and a bright, cheery light. . . And Again, it painted such a different picture than the nightmare that had raged around them last night.

_At least they didn't ask me to finish the story. . ._

"Grfph! _Enough!_ My cheeks hurt!" Kat yelled, wresting himself from out of her hold. He hopped away from her and rubbed at his face tenderly, giving her a fierce pout.

Kit looked at her brother's expression and laughed. Kat, taking offense to this, growled and ran at her, promising to shove her face into the dirt for her transgressions. Kit turned and ran, squealing so loudly her voice echoed in the empty clearing. Kat pursued her, determination in his footsteps.

Echo gave a tiny sigh and got to her feet, ignoring the lightheaded feeling that stole through her. _Adrenalin burnout, and when did I actually sleep last?_ It had been far too long. She hadn't slept in at least a day, at the very least. Now that she thought about it. . . She was fairly certain she was going on two and a half. At the thought, her eyes felt ashen, and she really wanted to lay down and sleep for three days straight.

She turned, however, at absence of the sound of clanging, and regarded Panthro and the tank. The ex-general was working on his vehicle tirelessly, and as Echo watched, the huge wall of a cat opened up the hood of the vehicle - where smoke and flames greeted him. Echo thought he'd start yelling in anger, but instead, he waved his hand, dispelling the smoke, and gave a grunt.

_Ain't no rest for the wicked._

Echo approached the line of ThunderCats standing before Panthro and his assault weapon. She left Kit and Kat to their own devices (albeit she _did_ make sure to deliver a warning not to get too dirty), and came to stand beside Tygra.

"Go on, _Lord of the ThunderCats_ ," Tygra said, sarcastic smile firmly in place, "See if your loyal subject needs help fixing his. . . Uh. . . Oh. What was it, Echo?" The tiger asked, upon noticing her.

"Tank." She supplied.

"Tank," Tygra continued, "That is. . . Unless you're scared."

Lion-O rolled his eyes at the barb, but didn't deny the challenge. He approached Panthro, but stopped right beside the tank, looking suddenly hesitant and uncertain.

"Hey, Panthro." Lion-O said, interjecting amiable cheer into his voice.

"Go away," Panthro replied, not even bothering to look up from his work, "Can't you see I'm busy?" He began to tinker with the engine, touching the hot components with his bare hands. Echo colored herself impressed - he wasn't even giving the slightest indication of pain.

"Oh, _come on!_ You're really just gonna ignore us forever? What are you so grumpy about anyway?" Lion-O asked, planting his hands on his hips, his patience evaporated.

"You're standing on my samouflange." Panthro replied coolly, voice a deadpan.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Lion-O jumped up, getting off of the fallen piece of armor. He cleared his throat to recover from his embarassment and continued, "Look, maybe I can help. I've dabbled in a little tech myself."

Before them, Panthro stood up and finally turned to Lion-O, pinning him with an exasperated stare.

"The ThunderTank is out of Thundrilium. Now I have to risk _my_ hide to get _more_ at Cloud Peak Mine." He pointed, and Echo followed his finger.

In the distance, she could see a mountain. It was a strange-looking one at that. It was tall, square, and jutted up into the sky like a giant obelisk, and it was actually almost picturesque. Pale, sun-bleached stone, framed by a beautiful blue sky, and white, puffy clouds surrounding it. Echo could imagine herself laying at the base of it and falling asleep, surrounded by endless blue and white.

Her eyelids started to droop at the thought. _No! Stay awake!_ Echo gave her head a quick shake, and that seemed to help a little.

"If you're going after Thundrilium," Lion-O said, taking a step forward, "We're coming with you."

Echo barely suppressed a groan.

Cloud Peak Mine must have been at _least_ five miles. One way.

"Let me put this as respectfully as I can. . . _No_."

Lion-O bristled. "I _am_ the King now, general. And we are more than capable of handling ourselves on the battlefield."

Panthro hopped down from the ThunderTank with ease, and landed on the ground in front of Lion-O. Echo stared, unable to tear her eyes away, and to be quite honest, it was nothing short of awe-inspiring. In terms of muscles, the only other Cat who could come close was Grune, and heavy scars raked over his fur, detailing many years of history of horrible battles and near defeats. His right eye was cloudy and sightless, a scar spanning over that section of his face.

_He's known nothing but war._

Echo stared, eventually looking at the general's eyes, and found them flickering, as though he were resisting the urge to rise and meet Lion-O's words. Surprisingly, however, Panthro's posture relaxed in a heartbeat. He offered them all a halfhearted shrug.

"Fine. If you get in my way, or slow me down, you're on your own. . . Any questions?"

Cheetara and Echo shook their heads. Tygra took them all by surprise, however, by giving a small raise of his hand - almost as though he were waiting for a teacher to call on him. He stared at Pantrho curiously, brow furrowed.

"What's a samouflange?"

Panthro and Lion-O both rolled their eyes at the same time, and Echo turned her head away from the tiger to heave a heavy sigh.

"What?" She heard Tygra ask, "I don't know what a samouflange is!"

"Just. . . Tygra, stop. You're going to hurt yourself." She said, chuckling into her hand.

_Heck of a time to start asking about technology, tiger._

* * *

 

 

"Wait for us here," Lion-O called out into the clearing, "We'll be back in a few hours."

"Behave!" Echo interjected, "Don't touch anything, don't leave the Tank, don't-"

" _Okay_ , Echo! We _got_ it!" Kit yelled at her.

"Yeah, we'll be good!" Kat chimed in.

Echo tried to look irritated, but a smile tweaked up the corners of her lips all the same. _Those kittens_. At times, they managed to get under her skin like nothing else, but at others. . . She'd feel the strongest glow of affection for them. It was strangely, really, just how quickly they had bonded. Echo was beginning to feel like an older sister to the twins.

But. . . For some reason she couldn't understand, Echo honestly didn't know why that thought caused her heart to seize up in fear. She'd written down those thoughts, of course. _'I'm not fit for it_ ,' one of them had read, ' _I don't want it to happen again_ ,' read another. Echo remembered writing them, right after she'd woken up from various dreams, but she just didn't know what they _meant_. Another part of the puzzle to her past.

She was kind of glad for everything that had happened in Thundera, awful as it was to say. This journey had begun to erode away the mountain of her amnesia.

The ThunderTank's loading bay closed up with a hydraulic hiss, quickly cutting the twins and Snarf off from view. Echo stared, fearing for the children. What if the lizards came back, and their party hadn't returned? What if the lizards came back with _tech?_ The kittens didn't know how to drive (pilot?) such a piece of machinery. What if-

A slender hand laid on her shoulder, and she turned, finding Cheetara there, smiling at her.

"They'll be alright - the kittens are far more resourceful than we give them credit for. Come on."

_Looks like I'm not the only person worried about somebody else._

She could see that same spark of. . . Of what? Maternal instinct? No, that sounded far too strong. Spark of friendship?

Cheetara gave her shoulder a gentle tug and Echo fell into step behind her, shaking her head in disbelief.

God, what the hell was _wrong_ with her today? Was it because she was so tired that she just _thought_ of the weirdest things?

 _Apparently_. Shaking her head again, Echo walked behind Cheetara, and (much to her chagrin), the group began their trek.

They meandered back into the forest, and Echo found that picture of beauty being painted again. Yesterday, it had been tainted by the arrival of the lizards. But now. . . That same peace had settled around them again, and Echo breathed in deeply, taking in the clean forest air. Gone were the smells of fuel and fire, and the clean scent of the forest replaced it. The fireflies weren't there, however. . . Echo was kind of glad for it.

She was already getting tired. Fatigue was beginning to set in over her muscles, so she decided to concentrate on walking, on the task of putting one foot in front of the other.

Silence descended as they trekked onward, and Echo desperately wished somebody would strike up conversation. It would help keep her awake. It would take her mind off of sleep and how much she wanted it. She glanced at Lion-O and Tygra, and found guarded expressions on their faces. A short peek at Panthro revealed the same thing.

Panthro was Thundera's ex-general. And after what had happened with Grune. . . She couldn't say that she blamed them. Why would you blindly open yourself back up to getting hurt again?

_Alright, knock it off. Quit thinking yourself in circles, my god._

"So. What are you, kid? An albino?" Panthro said, deep voice cutting over the silence.

Echo stared in confusion, wondering why he was asking Lion-O if he was an albino - and the general turned to give her a look. _Oh. That was directed at me. Alright, Echo, get your head together_.

"Uh, yeah. Guess so. Don't albinos have red eyes, though?"

Panthro looked at her again, gaze calculating. He glanced away again before she could say anything.

"You a Wood Forger?" He asked.

"No, I'm not. I'm a human. . . I lost my memories, though, so I can't really tell you anything about myself, to be honest. . ."

Panthro grunted in response.

"You sure have a motley crew on your hands, kid." He griped, glancing at Lion-O out of the corner of his eye.

Under any other circumstance, she would have snapped at him. She was a perfectly capable human! She knew how to fight, she had telekinesis, and had freaky dreams. . . But still. There was no reason to be openly hostile (or grumpy) to her when they'd just met! _Is he some kind of gladiator, come to life? Do we need to fall on a blade and get a mortal wound before he finally sees I'm capable. . ._

Echo paused when she heard the gears turning in her mind with a rusty groan.

_Oh. That's it._

We haven't proven ourselves to him.

In everything she had read on the generals, which wasn't a lot, actually, she had learned that Grune and Panthro had forged their bonds through battle. The generals had played tremendous roles in stopping the lizards from taking over Thundera. It made sense that Panthro wasn't immediately happy and trusting with them - especially her. He seemed to be more of a, "prove your worth in battle, and make sure to follow my plan to the letter" kind of Cat.

"You implying anything?" Lion-O snapped, eyes narrowing at the general.

"I'm saying it's a miracle you survived this long without any adult supervision."

"We've been doing just _fine_ under my command." Lion-O retorted.

Echo breathed a mental sigh of relief when the lion didn't immediately run out and challenge Panthro. Despite her friend's cool demeanor, he often had a short fuse, and his emotions fueled his actions. _Probably came from his father's side_ , she mused.

Panthro, however, finally appeared fed up with their little back-and-forth exchanges. He stopped and turned, pinning Lion-O with a stern glare. Echo stopped, eyes flickering between the two, and suppressed a small groan. She was tired, her feet hurt, she could use a nice, long dead-to-the-world sleep, and Lion-O and Panthro wanted to duke it out. . .

"If you want to stay alive, greenhorn, you're gonna have to listen to _me_."

Lion-O squared his shoulders and stared back unflinchingly, ready to meet the challenge.

" _I'm_ the King now, Panthro." Lion-O said softly, as though reminding the general of this tiny detail he'd overlooked.

" _Ha!_ Could've fooled me. . . Now, your _father_. _He_ was a leader."

At this, Cheetara stepped forward and clasped her hands in front of her.

"The King fought to his last breath to try and save Thundera, Panthro. . . But, Grune's betrayal was too much to overcome. The crown has rightfully been placed to Lion-O, and he is the true leader of the ThunderCats. Why do you disobey him?"

Panthro's eyes narrowed, and a soft growl slipped from him.

"My reasons are my own," He huffed, but. . . The anger and irritation began to evaporate inside of him, and he looked away from Cheetara, and then to the cleric again, "So the stories _were_ true? It was Grune? You're positive of this?"

When Cheetara nodded, something akin to anguish flickered through his eyes. _He didn't really know, did he? That was a nasty way to tell him_.

Echo had a nagging feeling that Panthro had suspected, but he'd chosen to disbelieve the tales. To be told somebody you'd considered a brother had up and betrayed everything you had strove to protect for _years_. . . Echo couldn't imagine the pain Panthro was in. Everyone in their party was quiet, their eyes averted, and Echo looked at the rest of her party before she steeled herself and came to stand beside Panthro.

"You. . . You didn't know, did you?" She asked quietly. In the silence around them, her murmur echoed like a gunshot.

"Had my suspicions, heard the stories," Panthro mumbled, "Kid wouldn't be holdin' that sword if. . . But. . . But _Grune_ \- we've been inseparable ever since that first day on the battlefield. . ."

She didn't know if Panthro was the kind to accept physical affection easily, but Echo decided to roll the dice. She reached out and laid a hesitant hand on one of his massive biceps, and almost immediately she felt. . . Something. A sharp tension laid just underneath his fur, anger and sorrow pulsing dangerously close to the surface. . .

Electricity damn near made her skin tingle, and she lifted her hand and offered a few tentative pats.

 _I need to take a catnap soon_.

Panthro gave his head a shake, as though dislodging a bad memory, before looking down at her hand - and shaking free. He grunted (a preferred method of communication, she guessed) and began to walk again.

"Keep moving. We're getting closer and I want to be there before nightfall."

* * *

* * *

Colors swirled around her in a blurring kaleidoscope.

 _They're so beautiful_.

In every direction, all she could see was a chaotic maelstrom of violent, expressive hues. Red and blacks and even some white and pink. Every color known to man spun in a dizzying array of beauty. And there she stood in the center of it all, numbly watching. As if noticing her, the colors began to press in, drawing closer and closer. Fear swelled as she thought of herself, crushed, but she didn't need to worry.

With a magnificent explosion, the colors expanded outward.

Echo blinked, and the world fell into place around her. Nothing seemed quite tangible, and the landscape kept flickering and changing, as though it wanted to morph into something else. It was like watching some horribly glitched movie, and then disc kept wanting to zip ahead to the next scene.

Fire arced overhead, and a crack echoed through the air.

She followed the fire's trail, and found a figure standing on what was left of the parapet of a building. He shone like a small sun, and radiated an intensely strong, red aura. The shadows covering him dispelled for just a moment, and under the cloak of black, she spotted hte visage of King Claudus.

He lifted up a familiar golden claw and pointed. Echo followed his hand and found two more figures. They were hazy and indistinct, bodies constantly morphing and changing in front of her. Like Claudus, they both radiated strong auras. One was a soft blue, and the other. . . It was a jagged, spiky mess - primarily red, but bits of black flickered to life, like decaying flames.

With a jolt, the world changed.

She saw both of the Cats fighting. It never ended. Fight after fight, victory after victory. The two Cats were constantly warring, and through every battle, their auras latched onto each other, fusing and tying. As they locked blades with lizards, the shadows covering their bodies faded, and she saw Grune - and Panthro.

_Are these. . . Panthro's memories?_

Grune's aura changed, growing, the red countenance bleeding into a deeper shade, and the black fires flickered stronger every day. Slowly, ever so slowly, it was beginning to consume him.

Another jolt, and the world changed again. The sounds of war faded, and sunshine filtered down from a beautiful blue sky. Claudus appeared at her side, holding a small scroll in his hands.

" _. . . it's_ more _than a legend. . . Anyone can find it - it's you two_." His voice sounded garbled, static-filled, and faraway.

_Sunda said you sent them on a quest. . ._

Something moved behind Claudus, and Echo peeked around him.

Another Cat stood there.

_Lion-O?_

His features were cloaked in the same shadows, but she knew that mane of spiky red hair. But. . . This was the past. Surely. So what was a grown-up Lion-O doing standing before her?

And. . . Why was he shaking his head?

Echo felt a hand lay over her shoulder and give a rough shake, and her eyes snapped open. Her mind tried to register what she was staring at, because it wasn't a myriad of confusing colors. No, no it was a golden sky. Sunset. Her eyes moved, and she stared up into a youthful face surrounded by spiky red hair.

"Echo?" He asked, pitching his voice low, "You okay? You fell asleep."

"Uh. . . Yeah. I did. . . I mean - I'm fine. Must've drifted off. . ." She looked around, at the tall grass and the ThunderCats laying around her. She hadn't even remembered laying down and falling asleep - though she yearned to do it again. Right then and there. Shaking her head, Echo flipped onto her stomach and suppressed a yawn.

Lion-O shuffled away from her, moving into position next to Panthro, who was gazing down at Cloud Peak Mine, his eye pressed to a scope.

Echo's fingers itched to hold her journal and scrawl down everything she'd seen. And why the heck was Lion-O in _this_ dream? The only explanation she could come up with was when he'd woken her up, her subconscious must have transposed him into the dreamworld. It was the only logical reason she could come up with. Giving her head a small shake, Echo longed to slap her cheeks. It would help get her mind off of wanting to close her eyes again. . .

"You should have told us you were tired. You'll only slow us down - be a danger to us." Panthro said, never looking away from his scope.

Irritation flickered inside of Echo, something she guessed was derived from her fatigue.

"I just needed a quick nap. I'm okay."

She felt far from it. She felt utterly exhausted, but she wasn't about to go and tell him that. She could make it through _this_ day, the Cloud Peak Mine operation, but she'd need to sleep after. Panthro let out a 'hm' and continued surveying the mine, scope pressed to his eye.

Tygra looked at her, assessing her condition, and Echo shot him a hot glare in response.

"Down there, just a bit to the right - it's the access tunnel we need to get to," Pathro peered at it a moment longer, "Doesn't look too heavily guarded."

"I say we take 'em now." Lion-O said, gazing down at the few sparse lizards patrolling the road.

"We'll _wait_ for darkness." Panthro replied, his tone hard and leaving little room for argument.

At that, the panther moved away, not even bothering to wait for Lion-O's grudging acceptance. Cheetara and Tygra crawled after him in a heartbeat, but Echo hung back, scrubbing at her eyes and finally giving into the urge to yawn. Somebody had to talk to her friend about the recent development in power changes. Her friend could be nothing short of a brick wall at times, and Echo hoped that that moment wasn't one of them.

"Lion-O, it's alright. Panthro knows-"

A sharp, quiet growl cut her off, and Lion-O gave her a hot stare. Her jerked his head back to the lizards and snarled softly.

"Just who the heck is in _charge_ here?"

And then, a moment later, he was gone.

One second he was laying there, and the next - he wasn't. She caught a brief glimpse of red running down the hillside, and disbelief flowed through her. _He. . . He wouldn't!_

She heard her friend utter a sharp war cry, and knew he most certainly _was_.

"That _idiot!_ " She hissed. Echo lurched up to her feet and took off down the hillside, drawing her swords. She slid down the slope and nearly crashed into a lizard that was rushing to the scene of the battle. A swift jab to the gut sent the lizard sprawling, but Echo didn't have time to celebrate. A laser struck the ground near her feet, and Echo bit out a curse as she sped from the foliage and onto the main road leading into the mine.

Around them, lizards were pouring out in droves. Within moments, the lizards had surrounded them, several of their weapons charging with a high-powered whine.

Lion-O offered an insecure chuckle.

"Uh. . . Truce?" The lion asked, lifting his hands in the air.

Echo snapped her head to the side to pin him with the most _vile_ glare she'd ever worn, and hundreds of threats were about to spew from her mouth, but her jaw shut with a _click_ , and her eyes grew wide. Lizards were _flying_ through the air, effortlessly being tossed onto a growing pile of unconscious reptiles.

Panthro powered through their ranks like a machine, nunchuks moving so fast they were a blur. Echo stood there stupidly, watching the awe-inspiring display of battle prowess. Her sword tips dropped onto the ground, and she just couldn't believe what she was seeing. Panthro finished just as soon as he started, with a _sizable_ pile of reptiles.

Panthro sheathed his nunchucks with a practiced motion, but his fur was nearly standing on end. _He's pissed._

"What is _wrong_ with you?" He barked, marching to stand in front of Lion-O.

Lion-O snarled, baring his fangs.

" _Me?_ What is wrong with _me? I_ gave an order. _You_ ignored it!"

Echo groaned, her patience wearing thin. Really? They were going to do this now? When they had much more pressing matters to attend to? It wasn't as though she hadn't been listening to them snip at each other all day. And now they were going to initiate an 'I-am-Alpha-hear-me-roar' dominance match?

"Panthro," Cheetara said, interrupting, "Lion-O _is_ the King. As a ThunderCat - and general - you are sworn to obey him."

"So that means I've got to listen to a child giving me the _most_ idiotic orders I've ever received?"

"I guess all of the _stories_ of your _undying loyalty_ were-"

Echo felt something inside of her go _snap_.

Gritting her teeth, she stomped up between them, and both Cats stared down at her in surprise. Panthro, especially, when she jabbed a finger into his muscled chest.

" _You_ ," She hissed, "Need to knock it off! Why are you being so openly hostile to the rest of us? What few Cats here could be the _last of your species_. Stay focused on the _real_ enemy - and Lion-O is _not_ a child! He has gotten us through many battles with his wits _alone_. Stop talking down your nose at him, you overgrown grunt! I am sick of your dominance grabs! If you just _talked_ to people like human beings, and not underlings, you might actually _get_ somewhere with them."

She caught Lion-O grinning out of the corner of her eye.

"Thanks, Echo, at least _some_ -"

She whirled around, jabbing him in the chest, too.

"And _you!_ "

"Me? What did _I_ do?!"

" _You_ need to stop acting like an entitled idiot! Respect is not _given,_ Lion-O, it is _earned_. You must give to your people before you should expect anything in return. What you did, just a minute ago? It was nothing short of stupid - you could have gotten us killed! And look what you have - and invaluable asset, right at your fingertips! You're so blinded by your lordship that you refuse to see that Panthro is - was - a _general_. He has years of _battle experience._ He knows what he's talking about Lion-O!"

Echo stepped back, closer to the mine entrance, and examined both of the Cats in front of her. Lion-O looked shell-shocked, and Panthro appeared surprised that she'd even spoken at all. Anger boiled through her, and she glared at the both of them.

"Now _stow it_. Have your little pissing match later. We have Thundrilium to get, and I'm _sick_ of listening to this rhetoric!"

Without waiting for any of them, Echo stalked away, a heavy scowl on her face as she walked into the darkness of the mine. Due to the acoustics, she heard Tygra let out a long whistle.

"Well, men, seems like you picked the wrong day to irritate Short Stack."

"I've never. . . Seen that side of her before." Lion-O said, disbelief in his voice.

"Does she always get like this when she's tired?"

 _Yeah, I am tired,_ Echo thought darkly.

 _Tired of this_ bullshit.

* * *

 

Echo's anger faded with every step she took. Call it a life lesson, but she couldn't stay mad at friends (or anyone) for very long.

The last time she'd held off on apologizing to a friend, he'd died a horrible death, not even knowing how badly she'd wanted to say sorry. This mindframe was infectious, she'd learned, as both Lion-O and Panthro had put aside their petty disputes (for the moment, anyway) to concentrate on the mission. Smart idea, for as soon as they'd set foot inside, the presence of the lizards had escalated.

Through the darkness, Echo could see the husks of machinery laying about. Some of it was broken, others in state of disrepair, and more still that were simply being unused. The air grew humid as they walked further into the mine, something which Echo despised. When she was tired, heat had a way of making her nod off. And her fatigue hovered just on the fringes of her acknowledgement, waiting for the right moment to strike. Finally, after minutes of following the tunnel uphill, they came upon an archway. Through it, Echo could see the lizards moving about, ferrying carts filled high with. . . Pink things?

Crouching down as low as she could get, Echo tucked herself on the bottom of the archway.

Yes. . . Yes, the carts were filled with pink crystals. The lizards would wheel the carts under a dispenser, fill it, and roll it away. Echo had no idea what Thundrillium was, but if she had to take a guess, she'd bet on the crystals. And what a copious amount there were!

"That's Thundrillium?" She asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"Enough to power a thousand ThunderTanks for a thousand years." Panthro affirmed her guess.

Echo watched the reptiles move about busily, keeping the mine functional, and finally she flicked her eyes down, catching a bit of gold-

"Grune!" She hissed.

Panthro growled softly beside her, not that she could blame him. If her dream. . . Vision. . . Was any indication, then he had to be pretty pissed at the other Cat. Something ghosted over her hand, and Echo shook it, thinking it was a bug.

Only it happened again.

She looked down, determined to shake off the creepy-crawly, and she found. . . She found. . .

_Paper?_

Yes. Scraps of white paper were fluttering around her, landing on the floor and fading away. Echo glanced up at Lion-O, looking for a reaction from her friend, only she didn't find one. She swallowed against a tightness building in her throat. _I'm so tired I'm hallucinating. Isn't that great?_

A whisper rose up in her mind, escalating in noise and intensity until it became the very clear roaring of a supportive crowd.

" _Pan-thro! Pan-thro! Grune! Grune!_ "

" _See?_ " Panthro said, voice filled with static, " _This isn't bad. We're already legends_."

" _Legends?_ " Grune huffed a laugh, " _When we return with the book, we'll be greeted as_ gods."

The gentle pieces of paper floating around her turned into harsh, freezing snowflakes. But the humidity of the mine melted them all, and it turned into a torrential downpour of rain. Echo watched as the mine floor sucked up all the rain, becoming drier and drier, until the dirt turned fine, and sand began to pour out of cracks that formed.

The mine was changing into a desert. She could hear dark whispers on the wind, and she caught a brief glimpse of the shadow-Grune racing across a dune. She could hear insane laughter in the distance, high and mocking.

 _Wake up, Echo, wake up_ wake up!

She tried to think of a way to snap herself out of it, but nothing was coming to her. As the sand began to wash over her toes, she bit down on her cheek - hard enough to taste blood. The pain that rocked through her was enough to make the sand fade instantly. Echo breathed as calmly as she could, but she felt like sucking in huge drags of air, and her heart was pounding in her chest.

". . . move on _my_ lead. Got it?" Panthro was saying, his tone indicating no room for argument.

Echo listened to Panthro's plan, and agreed to it in a heartbeat. It was a simple one, and his tactical strategies were not to be questioned. She'd even caught Tygra giving the panther a keen eye as he'd spoken. A minute later, and Echo was alone with Panthro, still seated on edge of the archway. The plan was easy enough: while the ThunderCats made a distraction in the initial tunnel, Echo was to drop behind them and distract the rest of the forces.

While the lizards were confused, they'd take the opportunity to knock them out.

Grune would come running, and Panthro would drop behind _him_. Nobody had any qualms with the large Cat taking on Grune. Hell, Thundera's ex-hero had almost managed to best Claudus in combat.

Echo looked at the tunnel as she saw a golden flash of light, and a moment later, a lizard flew through the air. He landed on the ground roughly, and his comrades rushed into the tunnel, eager to see who had dared to hurt their fellow lizard - only to find Tygra and Lion-O appearing seconds later, easily dispatching the reptiles with their hands.

Lizards poured from the adjacent tunnels and into the mine's central hub. As the numbers tapered off, Echo took that as her cue. She pushed herself out from the ledge and fell, making as much noise possible when she landed. The closest reptile turned, curious as to the noise, and Echo was sure to give him an elbow to the ribs for his trouble.

What happened next was mass confusion on the part of the lizards. Many of them turned to the source of the new fighter, and that provided the perfect opening for the Cats to get back on the offensive. Within moments, the lizards were incapacitated, and Echo dusted her hands. _Perfect. Now all we need is. . ._

"You ridiculous _fools_. Did you expect to challenge me and win? You brought the sword right _to_ me! I won't let you leave here alive!"

Echo backed up as Grune advanced, rejoining the line of Cats right behind her. Grune continued forward, footsteps measured, as though he expected them to pull some tricky weapon out from underneath their sleeves.

" _They_ will. I just can't say the same for _you_." Panthro said, appearing from thin air behind Grune. The huge wall of a Cat looked surprised, and spun around to come face-to-face with his ex-brother-by-blood.

"Ahhh, Panthro, old friend. I should have known you would be here." Grune said, and Echo could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Grune." Panthro hissed.

"This isn't gonna go well, is it?" Cheetara asked, looking at Tygra.

"Nope." The prince offered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Echo frowned, staring at Panthro. He was enraged. His eyes were slitted with fury, and-

The world around her began to fade again.

_No. No, not again!_

She bit the inside of her cheek, more blood pouring into her mouth, but it just didn't work. The pain didn't keep her rooted. Quicker than a flash, desert sands whipped through the mine, and Echo shielded her face. A howling tempest raged around her, and she squinted, trying to see through it, praying and hoping Lion-O or Tygra or Cheetara would wake her up. . .

Echo turned, and for the second time that day, her jaw dropped.

The sands were all converging on one point, forming a violent tornado in front of her. As soon as she looked at it, the winds died, revealing a black pyramid. Echo stared, watching as shadow-Grune appeared and raced toward it. The wind picked up, and the voices stirred again.

And. . . And fear flooded through Echo as they began to make sense.

 _COME TO ME_ , they beckoned. A delicious siren's song. It took everything Echo had inside of her to resist walking to the source of that voice. The pyramid came to life, lines of harsh, bloody red highlighting it. Parts of the pyramid slid back, as if inviting her inside. Echo stood there, entire body shaking in fear.

 _No,_ she thought, _no, I can't go in there. I can't face this truth. Please don't make me, don't force me_.

The winds pushed on her back, sending her staggering forward.

_I can't do this!_

_COME CLOSER_ , the voices said, wrapping invisible fingers around her.

It seemed as though she were gliding over the ground. Every step she took covered more than five, and within seconds, she was standing before the entrance to the pyramid. She fought, fought so hard her muscles ached and her heart pounded in her chest, but it was no use. The voices were stronger, and their buzzing was making her feel lightheaded.

It commanded she enter that damned black pyramid.

And when Echo took a step inside, breathed in its' air, it felt as though somebody had scrubbed her lungs with acid and then lit them on fire. She flinched, but a second later, a pleasant warmth washed through her, and her worries, her fears. . . They just faded.

_COME, COME! COME CLOSER! SHOW ME YOU ARE WORTHY!_

Shadows detached from the walls, red-eyed and hissing. Echo. . .

Echo smiled.

She drew her swords and licked her lips, hand tightening on the hilts.

Yes. Yes, she had to. Only if she were worthy. . .

She danced through them with ease, it was almost pathetic. Her blade shone in the purple and red lights around her, and the monsters fell to her blades. The voices tugged and pulled at her, directing her where to go, and she followed them, no matter where they led. And finally, she stood before a heavy door.

Sheathing her weapons, Echo shoved open the heavy metal and stepped inside. The voices grew to a nearly deafening crescendo. A vast room spread out before her, with four giant statues glaring down at a crystal. There. She had to go there. Shadow-Grune and shadow-Panthro were present, which wasn't surprising. She was glad for it, actually. They could see the glorious rebirth.

Shadow-Grune was pulling at a heavy metal lid, face contorted with insanity.

" _Can't you hear it? He's in here! He needs to be free!_ "

" _Grune, have you gone_ mad?"

Echo came to a stop on the platform before the steps leading up to shadow-Grune and the box. Around her, energy buzzed.

 _OPEN IT_ , they commanded, _OPEN IT AND I WILL GRANT YOU YOUR BIRTHRIGHT. THE POWER YOU DESERVE!_

Echo watched as shadow-Grune tried to open the box with brute force - that just wouldn't do. Lifting up a hand, a smile curved up the corner of her lips as she traced the outline of the box. . . No, it was a coffin. She recognized it now.

 _Yes_ , She thought, smile growing wider, _yes, I will do this. For you_.

She swiped her hand to the side, her power coursing through her. It was raw and potent, and the doors slid back with a sharp _crack!_

Shadow-Grune tumbled backward, unable to stand the force of the blast, but Echo remained safe and sound. Purple mist emerged, a heavy, swirling miasma that curled around her and brushed against her with familiarity.

" _Mumm-Ra._ "

She watched as the tattered red cloak descended down the steps. He paid both shadow-Grune and shadow-Panthro no attention as he approached the crystal she was standing on, and excitement raced through her. Would this be it? Would this be what she'd been waiting for for so long?

Mumm-Ra stopped just an inch away from the edge of the crystal, red eyes staring at the ground.

"You loyalty will be rewarded - but first, another task. Something was stolen from me long ago, and _you're_ going to help me get it back!"

He lifted up a hand, and immediately, the crystal underneath her liquified. Echo let out a gasp as she fell through the surface and into the sticky, heavy, gelatinous-like fluid. Around her, Mumm-Ra's laughter echoed, insane and dark. She fought to get to the surface, where air waited for her, but the crystal-water was too strong. It kept dragging her down.

Echo panicked, thrashing, but stilled when she saw a picture of Omens swirling in front of her, cat's pupil wide and ever-watchful.

"Echo, _move!_ "

She fell forward, onto her knees, her swords clattering out of her hands. Around her, the entirety of the mine was quaking and shaking, and her mind was reeling, still thinking she was drowning in the presence of a withered Mumm-Ra-

"Kid, _move!_ " Panthro shouted. Echo flinched and obeyed, rolling to the side. A moment later, a piece of technology burrowed through the ground right where she'd been laying.

Echo laid there for a moment, wondering just _why_ there were holes everywhere in the ceiling, until she shook her head and scrambled for her swords. _Ask questions later. Fight now._

Her hands shook, and she hoped nobody noticed. _I just had a blackout. I have no idea what the hell is going on, and I was stuck in dreamland_ -

That drilling noise grew louder, and Echo whirled around right as it popped down from the ceiling a second time. She blocked, throwing her blades in front of her, and a heavy drill bit impacted with the metal. The force behind the blow had her staggering backwards, but she had no time to retaliate. It was gone into the floor again a moment later.

"The acoustics are throwing me off!" Lion-O yelled.

"Keep a sharp ear! It gets louder right before it-"

As if summoned, the drill popped out of the ceiling and struck out with an arm. Echo felt her blood run cold as she realized she was about to watch Panthro die.

"Thunder, Thunder, _Thunder - ThunderCats, HO!_ "

The Eye of Thundera let out a bright flash as Lion-O drew the sword from its sheath. Almost as quickly as Cheetara, Lion-O rushed forward, bringing Omens round to bear, and the drill bit hit the stone.

Or tried to.

Electricity and power specific to Omens poured out around the blade.

It seemed like an eternity passed before Lion-O grit his teeth, dug in his feet, and _pushed_. He shoved the machine, and with a leap, sliced with Omens. Echo flinched as the robot fell to the the ground with a noisy crash, the drill bit on its head sliced right through.

Her friend stood, his legs slightly bent and spread apart, as if expecting it to jump back up. There wasn't any time to celebrate, or congratulate themselves for living through another battle. The earth around them began to rumble, and rocks and dust fell from the ceiling.

"The Driller weakened the mine!" Tygra shouted, "Out! _Now!_ "

Tygra waved for her to run ahead of him, and Echo did, sheathing her swords as she sprinted. The rumbling grew louder, and rocks fell from the ceiling, threatening to kill them all.

"Hightail it!"

The mine began to collapse noisily, rocks falling down and crashing and cracking against each other. Echo sprinted for all she was worth, following behind Panthro and Lion-O. The entrance they'd taken was blocked - but a sub-tunnel, just a few more feet to the left, also promised dusk light and fresh air.

Dust and dirt crawled down her throat as Echo ran outside, emerging on a cliff side that overlooked the mine. Dust and dirt peppered the air around them - but it wasn't _anything_ compared to the dust plumes just right outside of Cloud Peak Mine. Echo looked around the cliff, and found a rock with a semi-flat surface. She all but fell on top of it, giving a few short coughs to rid her throat of dirt.

"Well," Lion-O said, catching his breath, "That'll slow down Mumm-Ra's army for a while."

" _And_ I got us Thundrillium." Cheetara said, opening her hands just for a moment so they could see.

Echo grinned at her, "Golden Flash, huh?"

Cheetara smiled in response.

"Your father's sword. . . It wound up in the right hands after all, it seems. I served him proudly - and _you_ can expect the same." Panthro said, offering a massive hand out to Lion-O.

Lion-O's trademarked cocky grin was turned up to maximum as he slipped his hand into Panthro's.

"So, you think when we get the ThunderTank fixed. . . I could drive it?"

Echo smiled. _Lion-O's found a new tech toy._

Panthro laughed, utterly amused. "Not a chance," He chuckled, "My king."

 _Well_ , Echo thought, as she fought to keep her eyes open, _the children are getting along nicely._

She rested her head back and looked up at the twilight night sky, imagining curling up onto her bedroll for five days straight and sleeping. . . _Though_ , she thought, _is it bad for me to want to be so tired that I won't dream at all?_

_I don't want to be in a world where I've freed Mumm-Ra._

The thought made a cold shiver crawl down her spine.

_What if. . ._

_What if I_ did?


	9. Journey to the Tower of Omens

"So, you really don't have any memories?"

Echo leaned back on her arms, letting the sun wash over her. Beside her, both Panthro and Tygra sat, also enjoying the muted sunshine. Above them, the rays filtered in through the jungle canopy. Unlike the cramped environment of the Petalar forest, however, the greenery was much more open and inviting. Echo let out a contented sigh, and briefly considered taking a catnap. A wry smile popped to life on her face at the thought - true to her mental promise, she'd slept two days straight.

She'd woken up that morning a refreshed human.

"No," She replied, "I don't. I get snippets, sometimes. Sometimes, reality just. . . Fades away, and I get. . . Images." She didn't know why she was being so open about it. . . Echo decided to blame it on the sun.

Panthro let out a quiet grunt, "Sounds like a flashback."

"A flashback?" She repeated, looking at the giant Cat from the corner of her eye.

"Yeah," Panthro said, easily, "Somethin' reminded you of somehing. Even if you don't remember it."

 _A flashback. . ._ She hadn't considered those before.

"From what you remember," Tygra offered, "It sounds like you were living in a wartime."

"Yeah. . ." She murmured, staring off into the trees. Through all of the glimpses to the past, she'd been embroiled in war. _Is that all my life was? One big war?_

Something flashed out of the corner of her eye, and she stared at it. It glimmered on the surface of the tank. A moment later, and she sighed. Really? They couldn't have been just a _little_ more subtle about it? She lifted up a hand and flicked a finger, slowly lifting the digit up. Two small squeals sounded behind her, and Echo shook her head and let out another sigh.

"Don't spill it next time."

She flicked her wrist, and two kittens went sailing through the air. Behind them, a medium-sized jug filled with water sloshed after them. Both Wily twins landed harmlessly in the bushes, water splashing out on the ground around them. Beside her, Panthro cast a wary eye to her.

"Don't think I'll ever get used to that."

Echo rested back on the tank and offered another wry smile in return.

"Makes two of us." Tygra said, knitting his hands behind his head.

_Make that three. . ._

"You've been practicing," Came a soft voice to her right. Echo turned and found the smiling visage of Cheetara greeting her, "Good job."

She _had_ , actually. Every day of their journey, Echo had dedicated a good hour or two in the morning to exercising her telekinetic muscles. If she didn't stress herself too much, she'd practice for another hour at night. She'd vowed she would never let another repeat of the Ramlak episode happen. . . And gratefully, her training exercises were beginning to pay off.

Day after day, she got just a little bit stronger.

"At least it doesn't creep somebody out."

"Abilities present themselves in many forms. Clerics employ magic. Humans must be capable of telekinesis. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

Echo shot Cheetara a grateful grin. Leave it up to the cleric to take after Jaga and know just what to say.

"So," Tygra said, interrupting them, "How long are we just gonna sit here and play spectator?"

Kit and Kat, recovering from their spill in the bushes, scampered up on top of the tank, resting on parts of the metal, tails swishing in the air behind them. Before them, Lion-O stood on the ground, holding Omens tightly in his hands.

"Jaga's clues have gotten us this far." Cheetara replied, settling herself comfortably on the tank, "Now, it's up to Lion-O to get us the rest of the way."

"Have some faith, Tygra," Echo said, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

Tygra shot her an exasperated stare, and rolled his eyes.

"Rome. . .?" Panthro asked.

Echo shrugged.

"Sword of Omens," Lion-O said, voice radiating around the clearing, "Give me sight beyond sight!" He held Omens closer to his face, and the Eye flashed to life, the hilt curling around his eyes. Echo watched as her friend's eyes dilated, a vision stealing over him, but a moment later, Lion-O tensed and glared at the sword, a snarl on his face.

Taking a deep breath of air, her friend expelled it and twirled the grip in his hands.

"Okay. Alright, let's try this again. Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight. . . _Agh!_ C'mon, _work_ you stupid sword!"

"Are you telling me our only chance of finding the Book of Omens is if his _sword_ gives him _directions?!_ " Panthro asked the cleric, disbelief strong in his voice.

"It's about as hopeless as it sounds!" Tygra chirped happily, cynical grin firmly in place.

"Lion-O can get us there." Cheetara defended.

"A little belief in somebody never hurt. . . Might help if you believed in him, too." Echo added.

Tygra, correctly admonished, looked away with a huff.

If Lion-O was aware of their little spat, he didn't show it. Tirelessly, their leader lifted the sword up to his eyes again.

"Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight!"

A moment later, and Lion-O threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"This is so stupid!" He growled, glaring at Omens, "I don't even know what I'm looking for!"

Smoothly, Cheetara rose from her place on the tank and approached the lion. Echo watched as Lion-O noticed her approach and seemed to relax. Echo bit the inside of her cheek as her stomach churned, and she did her best to look as calm as possible. _I'm not jealous. Or anything. About their kiss. Or the way she's holding onto him. Why would I be jealous?_

Cheetara leaned in, whispering something into Lion-O's ear.

Her heart skipped a beat.

_Nope. Not at all._

Cheetara's hands twisted, becoming somewhat more supportive, and a heavy blush rose on Lion-O's face.

_Not. . . One. . . Bit. . . Oh, thank god._

The twins, seeing a new object of torture, ran up to the pair.

"Oohhh," Kit said, clasping her hands together, "I know what they were about to do!"

Kat puckered his lips.

"Knock it off!" Lion-O said, blush rising more furiously. He swatted at Kat, but the kitten deftly ducked out of his way.

"So, why is this Book so hard to find, anyway?" Kit asked, turned to look at the cleric.

"Did they forget where they put it?" Kat continued.

"In a way, yes," Cheetara said, "The Book of Omens wasn't _lost_ , it was hidden. The intention was that it would never be found."

"That's stupid." Kat said, crossing his arms over his chest, "Why hide something really important?"

"To keep it from falling into the wrong hands," Echo piped in, "It was rumored that the Book of Omens held incredible powers. Some thought that it was of even greater value than the Sword of Omens. Think of it like El Dara. All of that gold and treasure, just sitting right where you can see it. If you can take it, you'll be the richest animal alive. Every animal alive would stop at nothing to get it."

Cheetara shot her another soft smile, "Somebody paid attention to Jaga's classes."

Echo did not want to smile back. But she forced herself to, anyway, and inwardly, she prayed that the feeling of broken glass sitting in her chest would dissipate.

"The king knew it contained too much power to allow such an even to happen," The cleric continued, "So, he ordered the Guardians of the Crown to hide it. Far beyond the kingdom walls, farther than anywhere the Cats had ever been. To keep it safe, they built a temple, one made with magic. The Tower of Omens was inaccessible to anyone by themselves, and protected by ancient enchantments.

"Then, they sealed themselves into the temple. Forever. Its' location would be a secret they took to their graves."

Silence rang out around the clearing. Echo remembered the pictures she'd seen, elegantly crafted tombstones inscribed with honorific titles. There were no names for the clerics. There never would be, to protect the families they'd left behind.

"That's why Grune and I had little hope for our mission. We knew we'd probably never find it." Panthro said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So, what?" Tygra asked incredulously, "We just have to hope we get lucky and _stumble_ onto it?"

"I still don't get it!" Kat said, tail flickering in agitation.

"Yeah, why does everyone want the book?" Kit continued, face scrunched in confusion.

"Well," Echo said, "It's rumored the Book knows everything. So if you ask it a question, it'll give you the answer."

Echo tugged at the headband in her hair. White locks spilled everywhere, but she set to taming them again, and brushing them back away from her face. For a moment, the twins were silent, but she heard Kat let out a sharp gasp.

"You can ask it about your past!"

Echo's hands, finger-combing through her hair, stilled. She'd imagined it. A million times over. She couldn't wait to hold the fabled Book in her hands and finally rid herself of her amnesia. It was what she had been planning for so, so long. She was going to take the book, open it up, and then ask it all about her forgotten memories. She couldn't wait to hold it in her hands. . . After she asked Lion-O, of course. Taking a moment to recover, she finally spurred herself into motion and continued to brush her hair back.

She smiled gently at the twins.

"I think there are more pressing matters."

_Trust me, though. When I get the chance, I plan on doing just that._

"And we can ask it about _El Dara!_ " Kit said.

Immediately, the twins fell into an excited chatter. They secluded themselves, Kat pulling the picture out of his pack, and began to write down the hundred different questions they planned on asking the Book.

Lion-O, having enough of their conversation, pulled out the Sword again. . . And failed.

Tying Sunda's ribbon securely onto her head, Echo began to pine for a shower. Maybe she should have let the twins dunk them all with some water-

"Echo, you should give it a try."

"Excuse me?" Echo said, turning to the cleric. Cheetara was standing on the ground directly in front of her, one hand propped up onto her hip.

"Well," Cheetara said, "Mumm-Ra said you had a connection to the Sword of Omens. And when you were in the arena, it responded to you."

_Oh yeah. . . Forgot about that._

"But only the king and his descendants have been able to use the Sword." Panthro said, looking at Echo. His gaze turned sharp and observant, as though he were trying to discern the mysteries about her.

"Probably a fluke." Tygra offered.

At any other time, Echo would have snapped at him. But she looked back down to Cheetara and shook her head.

"I think Tygra's right. Anything could have happened in the arena that day. I don't think-"

"You never know until you try." Cheetara said.

"C'mon, Echo. Cheetara's right. It won't hurt to try."

Echo groaned mentally, but resigned herself to it. If she denied, Lion-O would only keep persisting. She might as well get it over with now and prove that what had happened in the arena _had_ been a fluke.

_Doesn't explain why even Mumm-Ra said you could wield War. Whatever that means._

Echo slid off the tank and landed on the ground. She strode forward to her friend, who offered Omens out to her. Echo wrapped her hands over Lion-O's and tried to ignore the way the sword vibrated under their hold. _Okay, I might have a connection to this stupid sword, but that doesn't mean I can_ use _it._

_. . . Right?_

Lion-O closed his eyes, and Echo followed suit.

Silence rang out in the clearing, and a gentle wind blew over them. _This isn't going to work. I don't have the same power you do, Lion-O_.

Still, she relaxed, trying to. . . Well, she didn't actually know what she was doing. She was just standing there, just waiting for the opportunity to pull her hands away and say it wouldn't work-

A beat later, and power rushed through her. Echo's body felt like electricity was running through it. Omens wrapped energy around the both of them, and the world melted away as a vision replaced it. It looked as though she were staring at the world through Omen's cat eye, and she saw. . .

" _Snarf?!_ " Both Lion-O and echo said together.

Their heads whipped up to the king's pet, who had been climbing up a tree, picking fruit. Upon hearing his name, however, the small creature slipped and fell, startled. Fruit rolled to the ground, along with a sizable amount of vines. Underneath the foliage, however, there rested a stone wall.

"That. . . That was unexpected." Lion-O said, reaching forward to tug more of the vines away. Within moments, he'd revealed a stone passageway, decorated with the visage of of a roaring lion's head.

"How did we. . . That's. . . I can't be able to use Omens like you, Lion-O! But how did we. . . I am so lost right now." Echo said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Let's ask the Book when we find it. How's that sound?" Lion-O said, shooting her a wide grin.

". . . That's a good idea." She said, giving him a smile in return.

The twins fell into step behind Lion-O and Cheetara as they both embarked into the tunnel, and Echo followed right behind them. Musty air quickly enveloped them, and the light began to dim.

"You're just full of mysteries, aren't you?" Panthro asked.

"Apparently." Echo replied.

* * *

* * *

A few minutes later, and the group emerged in a room with a stone bridge connecting to a doorway. A roaring effigy of a lion glared down at them, as if attempting to warn them away. Echo took a peek down at the floor below them, and couldn't suppress an involuntary shiver at the spikes jutting out of the floor, sharp and deadly.

"Well!" Tygra said, voice echoing off the walls, "Isn't this a grand welcome? It's so inviting."

Echo was somewhat afraid of the stone crumbling underneath them as they crossed the bridge and to the door, but to her relief, it held firm. Upon reaching the stone doorway, Echo placed a hand on it. It felt oddly warm to her touch, as though it were somehow alive. She examined the ancient language left onto the rock surface, and paused when she found a keyhole.

"Think they left a key behind?" She asked, voice carrying over the chamber.

Lion-O tapped her on the shoulder and pointed up. Echo craned her neck back, and her stomach fell. Hundreds of keys were tied to the ceiling, gently swaying in the breeze.

"Oh, how nice, they only left a few." Tygra said, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"There's way too many - it'd take years!" Panthro said. In her chest, Echo felt her hope falling.

"Then we'll just have to try them all." Cheetara said confidently. She tugged her staff free from her holster on her side and extended it. Reaching up, she lightly tapped three, and if they were connected by nothing more than spiderwebs, they fell gently into her outstretched hand.

"Only three? That's going to take forever." Kat griped, staring into the cleric's palm.

Cheetara passed a key to Lion-O. The lion turned and fitted it into the lock and turned it - but as soon as he did, the entire group heard the sound of ancient, rusty gears, and the grating of rock sliding away.

"I don't think we have forward." Tygra said darkly.

The bridge they were standing on began to vibrate, and Echo turned to the entrance. The rock was sliding back, retracting into a slat in the wall. She could feel it moving underneath her feet. Her eyes went to the spikes below them, and Echo felt her heart constrict as she imagined herself, impaled, slowly bleeding to death and coldness gripping at her.

The bridge picked up speed, and within moments, there was only a few feet left for them to stand on. Instinctively, Echo jumped, but the rock was gone, and she was falling, along with everyone else-

An arm looped around her waist, and she jerked to a stop, just a few feet above one of the spikes. Adrenaline flooded through her, and she twisted, wanting to get pulled to safety, but claws dug into her side, stopping her.

"I've got you. It's okay." Tygra said, his voice strained.

Echo craned her neck back and saw Kit with her arms wrapped around Tygra's waist. The rest of the Cats were hung in the same manner, all of them clinging to Panthro.

And the general's arms were shaking.

Echo looked down again, at the spikes, and found Snarf dangling by one of her legs. She hadn't even felt the poor animal grab onto her.

"Tygra," Echo said quietly, "Please don't let go."

"I won't. Stay calm. We'll get out of this."

_Stay calm?_

He didn't know how close she was to letting loose the hysterical laugh caught in her throat.

"T-They key!" Panthro bit out, voice strained.

"We got this!" Kit chirped next to her.

"Leave this to the masters!" Kat said from somewhere above her.

"Hurry!" Lion-O urged, "There's hundreds to pick from!"

 _Panthro can't hold us forever. Maybe I can pick us all up and lift us to the doorway_ -

The entrance, however, was now blocked by a stone slab. Almost as though he'd read her mind, Tygra huffed a laugh.

"There went the telekinesis plan."

"Why waste time," Kit said sagely, eerily calm, "Picking a key. . ."

"When you can just pick the lock?" Kat finished. As if on cue, Echo heard the most beautiful sound in the world. The rock doorway slid back, and Kit and Kat stepped inside. A few seconds passed, in which Echo felt the rest of the group jumping up into the doorway. Tygra looked down at her.

"Ready?"

She nodded.

With a heavy grunt, Tygra threw her, and Echo pushed against the rock with her mind, boosting herself up into the doorway. Tygra was just a beat behind her. Relief flowed through her strongly enough to make her tremble, but she turned back to the yawning doorway of death and helped to tug Panthro up.

Ensuring that everyone made it through in one piece, she stood up and dusted stray dirt off of her hands. They were currently standing in a long, cylindrical tunnel, with strange slats cut into the wall.

"The Book could be just beyond that door." Lion-O said.

_My past better be freaking worth it._

In response, Panthro stepped forward, kicking a stone as he did so. A whirring blade popped out of the wall, spinning with enough force to decapitate the Cat. echo lunged forward and latched onto the back of his vest and gave it a hard pull. The Cat stumbled, but managed to avoid getting himself sliced in half.

"Thanks." He said, and Echo nodded.

"Legend says the ancients rigged a series of obstacles near the temple, meant to keep outsiders away."

"And you just _now_ tell us this?" Echo snapped. Irritation flickered inside of her, hot and heavy. She certainly hadn't read about booby traps in any of the books in the library.

"Then it's a deathtrap! We'll never get through." Lion-O growled.

"Gotta move fast!"

Before Echo had time to blink, Cheetara was moving into the tunnel. She'd been right to nickname her the Golden Flash, because that's all Echo could see. Cheetara was jumping, ducking and weaving under the plethora of dead blades, and Echo felt her heart and her stomach knotting in her chest. If Cheetara made one wrong move, if she somehow missed a step-

Another grinding noise sounded through the tunnel, and Echo feared the floor was going to fall away again, but the blades stopped. Slowly, they retracted back into the walls, and Echo found Cheetara standing at the end of the hallway, staff extended, both ends pressing against a switch in the wall. Behind her, a door was sliding back, revealing another room.

Tygra pushed her, spurring her to run down the tunnel, and Echo did, although the hairs on the back of her neck were crawling. At any moment, the blades could pop out again. . . As they ran by Cheetara and into the second room, Echo muttered a short, "Sorry."

She was glad they were out of the blade room, though, for the next room was far more open and inviting. Ledges jutted out of the walls, and a pool of water sat in the middle of the room, containing pieces of gold. The kittens jumped in the air, eager.

"Look, treasure!" Kit exclaimed.

"We're rich!" Kat said, happily. He reached his hand into the water, digging for the gold, and Echo felt herself pale.

More stone grinding, and water began to pour into the room.

"Up the ledges!" Lion-O ordered.

_This day is turning out so, so horrible._

Water. It just

had _to be water!_

Echo hoisted up Kat up onto the first ledge, her skin crawling at the feel of water creeping up to her thighs. Hoisting herself up, she helped Kat up to the next ledge, and felt like crying when she found water lapping up against her feet. Kit was next up, and then Echo joined them on the next ledge, nearly losing her grip as her hands started to shake.

"You okay, Panthro?" Kit asked.

Panthro looked how Echo felt. The general was crouched on the ledge, hugging himself and shaking his head.

"Uh, I, uh, never told you g-guys but. . . I can't s-swim!"

"Oh, perfect. You can join Short Stack on the Thunderian swimming team, then!" Tygra griped.

"Are you _serious_? When this is over, I'm teaching the both of you!" Lion-O snapped.

Echo ignored them both, and continued to climb the ledges, one at a time. The kittens helped her, as the water rose, so did her fear. Soon, Echo found there were no more ledges, and she was almost hyperventilating. The Ramlak was waiting for her. So were the red-eyed monsters. She was going to drown.

The water lapped around her, and Echo found fearful noises leaving her. There weren't any more ledges, there wasn't anywhere else for her to go!

A golden gauntlet clapped over her arms, and Echo felt Lion-O grab onto her.

"Nothing's going to happen," The lion said soothingly, "It's just water. I'll hold onto you. Just stay calm, okay?"

It actually did help a little. Her breathing was choppy and her head was spinning, but she tried her best to remain calm. None of the Cats were afraid. There was no Ramlak, no red-eyed demons. She was alright. They'd get out of this.

Next to them, Panthro spluttered, arms flailing in the still-rising water.

"Panthro!"

"G-Go to him. I'll b-be okay." Echo said. She was. She was going to be okay. She just had to concentrate on something other than her fears. The Book. She'd concentrate on that. Tygra stroked over to them, and looked at his brother.

"I'll take her."

Echo didn't even notice the transfer. One moment, her arms were around Lion-O, and the next, she was clinging to Tygra.

"We're just going to float up to the exit. Just stay calm, okay, Short Stack?" Tygra said.

Echo just nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Cheetara tried to open the grate above them, but it remained firm and unyielding to her attempts.

"It won't open!"

"I ain't - I ain't gonna make it!"

Panthro finally succumbed to the water, and Echo found a hiccup building in her throat. The monsters had grabbed him, surely, because he was too big and strong to drown.

"Panthro's gone!" Lion-O said desperately, surfacing a moment later.

"Echo, stay calm. Don't panic. Stay. _Calm_."

The water was lapping around her neck, and she felt like she was losing it.

"Echo! Echo, blast the grate!"

"I-I c-can't. C-Can't!"

With her mind clouded by her fear, she had no control over her power.

"Hang on!"

With a deafening, rusty screech, the grate tore itself off.

Tygra hoisted her up, and large hands wrapped around her waist and fished her out of the water. Echo numbly realized she was staring at Panthro. The huge cat placed her on the ground gently before turning his attention to the rest of the ThunderCats.

 _Panthro's alive. That's good_. She thought, wrapping arms around herself. She was sopping wet, and her hair was plastered to her face. But she was alive. That was a good thing, right?

"Guess not being able to swim has its advantages!" Panthro declared happily.

Cheetara laid her hands gently over Echo's arms and began to maneuver her to stand. Echo followed the lead numbly, and she was grateful to the cleric.

"Nice try. You're still getting swimming lessons after this is all over." Lion-O griped, heading to the only doorway in the barren stone room.

Cheetara steered Echo after him, and the human was relieved to find both kittens completely safe and sound, if not a little wet. As they emerged from the room, her fear began to abate. The farther she left the water behind, the better. Dry, hot heat blasted them, working on their saturated clothing.

They had emerged on a cliffside.

Below them, jungle spread.

"There's nothing here!" Lion-O barked, "All those traps just to protect more jungle?! Maybe no one can find this temple because it doesn't exist!"

Cheetara disengaged from her, and Echo took the time to shake out her limbs. She worked out the last of the tremors, and stood there, breathing in slowly and calmly.

"Believe in yourself, Lion-O. I know I do." The cleric said quietly. As her fear began to take root in the back of her mind, instead of outright consuming her head entirely, Echo didn't bother to open her eyes. She knew that the cheetah was probably pressed up intimately against the lion again.

_Jealousy apparently erases my fear. Go figure._

A tug on her waist made her open her eyes, and she found herself staring into the happy face of Kat.

"You did a good job, Echo! And I took care of Kit. You don't have to protect us all the time!"

It was his way of cheering her up. She knew this. But it only felt like a knife to the chest - she should have been able to protect the kittens at every moment in time. . . She felt like a failure. Still. Echo forced herself to smile, and she ruffled the kitten's fur lightly.

"You did a good job. I'll work on being better, too."

"There's a switch!" Lion-O exclaimed, giddy, "But it's on the cliff - I can't reach it!"

Tygra pulled out his whip, unrolling the tight coils.

"Allow me."

Expertly, the tiger flicked his wrist, and the whip snapped to attention, hitting against the cliffside. A moment passed, and then another - but finally, _finally_ , a bridge extended from the opposite cliffwall. Stones slid back, and the river seemed to part as a giant archway revealed itself. Through it, Echo could see the Tower.

"The Tower of Omens. We made it!" Lion-O said.

"I can't believe I finally found it!" Panthro said, excitement vibrating across his frame.

Echo stared at the moss-covered, ancient tower, and that same excitement began to pour through her, too.

_The Book. I'm so close._

_Only a few more steps, and I'll finally get to find out everything._

* * *

 

 

"All it took was the right partners." Panthro said, as they crossed the bridge.

Echo was in step with the general, idly picking at her halfway-dry clothes. She bemoaned her poor swords, which needed attention after getting wet. They hilts and sheathes had a bad tendency to warp if they weren't cared for correctly. _The things I do to find out my past_.

"I can't wait to ask about El Dara!" Kat shouted, jumping up and down. His sister joined him in his revelry.

Echo stepped through the archway and found a single stone pillar extending upward, small wooden poles winding around it and leading upward.

"The Book must be at the top," Tygra said, ". . . Oh well. We've faced spikes, knives, and death by water. What's height?"

She was supremely glad for Tygra's sense of humor. It helped ease away more of the fear that was still present in the back of her mind.

"You did it, Lion-O! We're almost there - almost to the Book!" Cheetara said, a happy smile on her face.

"Indeed, he did!" A new voice interrupted, smooth as silk, but twice as deadly, "And it will be the last thing he ever does!"

Echo whirled around, both hands already drawing her swords as her heart leaped up into her throat, but for an entirely different reason now. Mumm-Ra stood there, alone, hunched over a brightly-lit lantern that he held clutched in his hands. Inside of it, a misty white fog swirled, and Echo could make out the features of. . . Jaga?

" _I led him right to you_ ," Jaga said, voice filled with sorrow, " _I'm sorry_."

Echo reeled.

Her dream.

_Her dream!_

She remembered the blue light striking against the glass, and that old, withered voice. _"Show me the way. Reveal to me the secrets of this world."_ Just like Thundera's fall, she'd dreamed of Mumm-Ra and Jaga, but she hadn't understood the strange, picturesque way it had appeared in front of her.

"Jaga!" Cheetara cried, "You're alive! We'll save you - don't worry!"

"Alive?" Mumm-Ra chuckled, "Hardly. He's nothing but a vapor in a jar. And now that I've found the Book's location, I've little use for him now!"

Echo's stomach twisted itself into a thousand knots as she watched Mumm-Ra throw the lantern carelessly away from him. Time seemed to slow down as she watched the metal and glass fly through the air, but a gold flash zipped to it, catching it before it fell. Mumm-Ra, angered by the cleric's success, thrust a hand out. Purple electricity flew forward, and Cheetara was thrown into the air. She let out a pained cry as she smacked against the stone pillar and slumped against the ground, Jaga's lantern still held loosely in her arms.

"Cheetara!" Echo shouted, concern rising in her.

Lion-O tried to sprint to her, but Tygra caught his shoulder.

"Mission first! We have to get to the book!"

"Go!" Panthro ordered, "Mumm-Ra's _mine!_ "

The general lashed out, wielding his nunchucks with a mastery that far surpassed many warriors. Echo stood, holding her sword hilts and shifting her weight from side to side, looking for an opening, but none presented itself. Mumm-Ra ducked and weaved under every strike, seemingly knowing every attack in Panthro's repertoire. By chance, Panthro managed to kick the moth-eaten mummy, but Mumm-Ra countered by blasting him with his energy.

Echo stared in awe as Panthro flex, dispelling the lightning, and growled, ears flat.

"Don't be deceived by appearances, general," Mumm-Ra grinned, sinister, "My true form is far more powerful! _Ancient spirits of evil, transform this decayed for into Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living!_ "

Echo shivered as the temperature in the room plummeted, and the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. Purple miasma surrounded the decayed monster, but quickly turned into flames. They burned away his bandages and bones, and left. . . _How can we. . . We can't beat this._

Mumm-Ra, transformed, was five times more terrifying. Muscles bulged from every orifice, and the power he radiated was almost enough to send Echo crashing to her knees. Swiping his hand across the air, he raised more purple lightning around Panthro, trapping the Cat, before gathering a purple mass in his mouth and shooting it at the general.

Panthro, much like Cheetara, flew back into the heavy stone pillar and sank onto the floor.

Mumm-Ra took flight, giving a powerful down stroke with his leathery wings. He didn't so much as glance at Echo or the twins. Tygra was running up the pillar behind Lion-O, but the lion had a larger headstart. . . Not that it mattered. Mumm-Ra would catch up to them within moments.

_Do something, Echo._

_Fight!_

"Take care of Panthro!" She shouted at the twins.

Echo sprinted for the pegs, and took off at a run on them. Sheathing her swords, she ran faster, determined to stop Mumm-Ra before he could reach the book. _I couldn't fight against you in Thundera, but I sure as hell can fight against you now!_

Above her, she could hear the crack of Tygra's whip, and his gun firing, but she didn't slow down. She sped up, heart thundering in her chest and her lungs burning as she ran, but she kept going. She wasn't going to fail a second time. Tygra cried out in pain, falling, and Echo snapped her head up. Mumm-Ra was just a few feet above her.

Bending her knees, Echo jumped. She used her telekinesis to give her a boost, and latched onto Mumm-Ra's back. He struggled, attempting to dislodge her, but Echo held on. She had a small knife tucked away under her shin guard. If she could reach it, she could drive it into his back.

"Pathetic worm!" Mumm-Ra snarled, rolling. One of Echo's arms slipped, but she reached down, drawing her leg up close, and drew out the small battle knife.

"I won't let it happen again!" She cried, anger giving her voice volume.

_I won't let you stop me!_

She drew back her hand, preparing to drive it down, but Mumm-Ra tucked and rolled, and Echo went flying. The dropped the knife, and the small metal skittered away from her. She thought she was going to fall into the air, but she landed on a rock platform. The wind left her as she impacted, and she laid on the ground and tried to breathe.

"The Book of Omens and its' power belong to _me!_ " Mumm-Ra said, spreading his hands, electricity crackling between them.

" _ThunderCats, HO!_ "

Red power blasted against Mumm-Ra, but the monster simply reached around it, grabbed it, and deflected it. Lion-O stumbled back, a shocked cry leaving him.

Rage flooded through Echo. She was pissed. She was more than pissed. Mumm-Ra was going to win. _Again_.

_I won't let you!_

As though a dam had broke, her power flowed through her, potent and raw. Getting to her feet, Echo lifted a hand and formed a fist. One of the decorative pillars around them snapped into pieces. She bombarded Mumm-Ra with the pieces, one at a time, hardly even daring to wonder how such a feat was possible.

Mumm-Ra faltered, using his arm to block some of the rocks, and he looked at her. She could see anger in his gaze, but underneath, she was sure she saw. . . Recognition? Familiarity seemed to pass through his eyes, but Echo grit her teeth and swiped her arm, shooting another rock at the demon. Mumm-Ra, tiring of being hit by heavy rocks, growled.

He let loose a flow of purple energy, and Echo threw her arms up to protect herself, forming a shield. He increased the power. Again. And again.

Echo's shield faltered, and hot, searing energy smacked against her. She went airborne, and fell off the side of the pillar. Lion-O snagged her before she could fall, and hoisted her up to the edge of the rock. Echo tensed when Mumm-Ra charged up another ball of energy in his mouth, but like an avenging angel, Cheetara appeared over the side of the pillar and delivered a harsh roundhouse to Mumm-Ra's face.

Mumm-Ra batted the cheetah out of the air, but the cleric managed to catch herself before she fell over.

"Go! I can pick myself up!" Echo said. Lion-O nodded his head and sprinted over to the cleric, but let out a pained cry as Mumm-Ra pegged him in the back with the purple energy ball. He collapsed, and quicker than Echo ever had before, she hoisted herself up and rushed over to her friend's side.

He was alright, but his fur was bristling in anger.

Before them, Mumm-Ra laughed.

"You are much like your father!" Mumm-Ra sneered.

"What do you know of my father?" Lion-O snarled, voice laden with a death threat.

"Only that I _killed_ him!"

Another blast of purple energy headed for them, and Echo tensed, expecting the worst, but Lion-O shoved her, sending her sprawling. Moments later, the lion was writhing on the ground, screaming in agony.

"Lion-O!" Echo cried out.

Mumm-Ra snickered.

Echo jumped to her feet, unsheathing her swords, and raced to kill him. Before she could even attempt to land the first swipe, bandages wrapped around her wrists and jerked her up into the air. Her swords were ripped out of her hands, and Echo struggled.

"Show me that power. Defend yourself." Mumm-Ra spoke, his voice layered with equal parts curiosity and anger.

Echo gasped when she realized that he was holding one of her swords, and it was aimed right at her stomach.

Her power flared to life, and she managed to halt his advance, but just barely. With every passing second, it inched closer and closer to her stomach, and Echo knew she was fighting a losing battle. Blood began to drip onto her lip as she let out a cry of effort in an attempt to keep Mumm-Ra from driving her through with her own sword.

It began to press against her stomach, and she could feel the tip cutting into her skin.

Right as she thought she was about to die, a bright, blinding light fills the temple's podium.

"The light!" Mumm-Ra cried out, screaming in agony.

"The Book will be _mine!_ " He yelled. Echo fell as her bindings released her, and she just sat there, on her knees, trying to calm her racing heartbeat. She could see the hazy form of Mumm-Ra (or, a bird, it seemed), flying away. Her head was throbbing, but she was alright. She could still function. The light died away, and Echo found the rest of the Cats making their way to the top of the platform.

"Jaga." Lion-O said, his voice horrified.

_The lantern. . . It's broken. . . Jaga's. . ._

Cheetara knelt on the ground and gathered the broken lantern to her, rubbing her cheek against it.

"He scarified himself for you. . . For all of us."

Numbly, Echo collected her swords and sheathed them, swallowing back her grief. She'd just witnessed the cleric die. Twice. How much more was life going to kick her in the teeth? Why did she have to suffer so much?

"Look." Tygra said softly.

He pointed up, to a small mote of light that was swirling through the air. It flitted around before traveling upward, gently pressing against Book. Echo stared, realizing just what she was staring at. The Book rested inside of a circular stone enclave, but as soon as the dot of light touched it, the red crystal set into its cover lightened.

And it began to descend.

Echo staggered to her feet, her heart racing for the millionth time that day. The Book.

She was so close.

Her grief over Jaga's death was completely overshadowed as she watched Lion-O approach and take it. Her blood thundered in her ears, and her mouth went dry.

Finally.

 _Finally_.

She was going to know everything.

Watching Lion-O open the cover and flip through the first few pages was utter anguish to Echo. Her legs started to shake.

"Well? What does it say?" Tygra said, pressing forward.

"It. . . It doesn't say anything." Lion-O said, looking up, fear on his face.

"The Book is blank."

For the first time in a long, long while, Echo felt like the world around her shattered like glass.


	10. Legacy

He had to be lying.

Echo _knew_ that Lion-O had to be lying to them.

The Book _couldn't_ be empty.

There was a fierce buzz inside of her head as she watched Lion-O thumb through the pages of the Book of Omens. Echo stared numbly at him as he continued flipping pages, movements growing more and more desperate. She felt like he had to pulling some elaborate prank. Surely, Lion-O had to be lying to her - to all of them. Something to lighten the mood after their most recent battle with Mumm-Ra.

Beside her, Cheetara and Tygra shifted, looking wholly concerned.

_The Book is blank._

Lion-O, why are you lying and saying the Book is blank?

It just wasn't possible. The Book, in every single text she'd read, had been rumored to know everything. She'd spent hours - no, no she'd spent _months_ fantasizing over what the tome would tell her when she finally got to hold it in her hands. Throughout the course of their journey, covered in dust, exhausted, and battered and bruised, she'd dreamed of what she would find. What the Book would finally reveal to her. She'd dreamed about it, had wished for it with every fiber of her being.

She'd been afraid that. . . That the Book would come with limitations. That she'd only be allowed to ask it a single question, that maybe she wouldn't be able to ask it a question at all - that Lion-O had to do it for her, and she'd find that her past contained something terrible.

But. . . But now, that reality, the possibility of even _asking_ the Book. . . It was gone.

 _No_ , Echo thought, _no, this has to be some sort of trick, or another test - or something else! The Book_ can't _be blank! It just can't!_

"That's. . . That's not possible," Cheetara said, finally breaking the silence, "The Book can't be blank."

"I swear it is - look! See for yourself!" Lion-O replied, twisting the Book around to face them.

Echo felt her world shatter a second time. Just a few feet in front of her, she could see the pages - crisp, pristine, beautiful. . . and blank. Echo could feel her throat tightening, and she could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears. It was true. The Book was absolutely blank. Lion-O wasn't lying - he wasn't playing some elaborate ruse.

"So - what?" Tygra asked, stepping forward to stare at the Book, "The clerics sacrificed themselves, and we worshiped ancient lore for nothing?"

Despite the pain in her body from her battle with Mumm-Ra, and the throbbing developing in her mind, anger coursed through Echo. Her jaw clenched, so hard she thought that it was going to crack, and in her chest, her heart clenched painfully.

No.

Absolutely not.

She refused to accept any of this. The Book _couldn't_ be blank. It absolutely could not.

She most certainly did not come all this way, have her emotional and physical body dragged and flayed during the course of their journey, survive the deaths of close friends, face battling an ancient evil (multiple times, no less), and having her entire core of her being shaken to be rewarded with nothing. To be told that - sorry! This is the end of your quest.

You were expecting unlimited, all-knowing knowledge. . .

Yeah, our bad. It's just blank pages. It looks pretty though, doesn't it?

_No. I refuse to accept this ending._

Barely aware of her own actions, Echo found herself walking forward, feet briskly striding over to Lion-O. Her body moved with purpose, her injuries and pains forgotten. Lion-O looked at her, wondering what she was up to - and then reeled in surprise when Echo snatched the book from his hands.

"E-Echo! Hey!"

Echo paid him absolutely no mind as she began to stride away from him, hands flipping over the pages. She held the Book in her hands and stared at it intensely, trying to discern its secrets. There had to be some kind of trick to it, she knew. Her movements became more frantic and desperate as she continued flipping the pages, searching for an inkblot, a stain - _anything_.

"Echo, come on. It's okay." Tygra said comfortingly.

Echo glanced at him briefly, ensuring he wasn't approaching. In that moment, she felt like she was an over-zealous animal guarding its' prey. Her fingers dug into the cover of the Book more tightly, gripping it closer to her. The three Cats gathered were looking at her with open expressions of worry and concern.

"We'll figure this out," Tygra continued, "It's okay. It's probably another test-"

"No," She answered simply, stopping in her tracks, "No, no more tests. I did not come this far to be rewarded with _nothing_. God _damn_ , you infernal thing, there's got to be _something_ inside of you-"

"Echo, that's enough." Tygra continued, and when Echo glanced at him again, she saw the tiger approaching.

"No," Echo bit out, "No, it's _not_ enough. Back off. It can't be blank. It _can't_."

" _Echo_ -"

"I said _back off!_ "

With a flick of her hand, a sharp burst of her power had the tiger sliding back. He lifted his arms to defend himself against the invisible threat, and his feet dug into the hard rock of the dais as his body moved. Echo knew it was unwise for her to use her telekinesis again, but she grit her teeth against the pain and turned her attention back to the Book.

_I have to be missing something. Tell me about my past. Tell me something. Anything! Don't just greet me with blank pages!_

"Echo, cool it! Listen, it's going to be okay, just put the Book do-" Lion-O was marching towards her, but his words incited rage inside of the white-haired human.

" _Back. Off!_ " She yelled, swiping an arm in front of her. Another burst of power, and a shock wave smacked up against the lion and sent him sprawling. He landed roughly on the dais, dust kicking up in his wake.

Echo could hardly believe what she was doing. Not only had she raised her hand to Tygra, but she'd done the same to Lion-O. _Lion-O_. She shook her head numbly, and her hands started to shake as she tried to process her actions.

_You don't understand. None of you do._

I'm a blank slate. And this Book had all the answers.

And now I don't even have that.

Echo stared at the cleric, keeping a wary eye on the cheetah, but Cheetara was preoccupied with picking Lion-O up off of the floor. Tygra stared at her, expression guarded, body tense, and his ears turned down. Classic battle stance. Echo turned her attention back to the book, breathing growing choppy. She didn't care. In that moment, she finally realized the root of her problem.

She didn't _care_.

She was the only human on Third Earth. Not a _single_ one of the clerics had ever recalled of hearing about the human species before - and she had no memories. There was no cipher to crack the mystery of her past. . . Except for the Book. What unsatisfying glimpses she could manage were soaked in blood and violence, and it was her goddamn birthright to know _why_.

Echo turned another page, and idly saw her hand shaking as she was greeted with white paper.

Absently, she heard heavy footsteps, and when she looked up, she saw the calm and collected visage of Panthro standing before her.

"Kid," The ex-general said calmly, "It's going to be-"

"Don't," She snarled, "Don't tell me it's alright. It's _not_. Don't look at me like that - like I'm Grune. I'm not - I said _back off!_ "

Echo didn't care that she was quickly reaching the end of her tether, and that she didn't have much left in her. She was apathetic to the fact that her nose was beginning to burn and her vision was tearing up. She collected what scraps of power she had left inside of her and gathered them, launching a blast of energy at Panthro.

The Cat rocked back on his heels, managing to withstand the blow.

He was far, far heavier than Lion-O or Tygra. In her chest, her heart skipped a beat painfully, as if deciding whether or not it should continue functioning. Echo clutched at the Book so tightly she swore her fingernails were going to make dents in the heavy cover. Panthro continued to advance, taking one measured footstep at a time, drawing closer and closer.

So Echo tried again. And again.

"Don't pretend like you understand!" She shouted, "Because you _don't_. None of you do! The Book has the answers! It _does!_ "

Her emotional outburst fed another strong blast, and Panthro pitched backward, almost swept off of his feet by the force. Pain staggered through Echo, and she sucked in a deep breath of air through clenched teeth. She staggered backwards herself, blood freely running from her nose and onto her hands, and the Book.

Immediately, the Book came to life, the jewel on its cover illuminating the antechamber with a strong glow. Echo stiffened in shock as the tome vibrated and clattered in her hand, and the light began to grow brighter.

Hope flared through her.

Could this have been it? Had her blood been the key required to unlocking the Book?

In the next second, harsh, electric shocks traveled through her hands, and Echo gave a sharp cry of pain. She instinctively dropped the Book of Omens, and almost immediately, the light died away. The Book fell onto the ground with a pathetic, quiet rustle of pages.

"The Book just. . . Burned me?" Her voice was quiet, but it echoed in the antechamber as everyone present reeled in shock. Echo recoiled and stared at her hand, at the burns developing quickly on her skin.

The Book had burned her.

The Book of Omens had _burned her._

Arms circled over her in the next moment, hefting off of her feet and pinning her securely against a heavily muscled side. The world snapped back to reality, and Echo writhed, kicking and squirming.

"Let me go!" She cried.

"No, kid. You're only hurting yourself now." Panthro murmured gently.

"Let. _Go!_ The Book _has_ to have the answers. . . It h-has t-to."

Her choppy breaths quickly turned into hiccups, which rapidly dissolved into sobs. Echo started crying as Panthro held her, and she didn't care that the Cats gathered were probably looking at her like she'd snapped. Like she'd gone insane.

It wasn't fair.

She just. . .

She wanted to _know_.

She wanted to know why her past was steeped in nothing but horrible, bloody war.

* * *

 

The water felt really, really nice.

Echo took a long moment to scrub at her arms, freeing her skin of dirt. She was standing just to the side of a roughly hip-deep pool of water. And, due to some amazing feature of the jungle surrounding them, the water was hot. Not scorching enough to turn her pink, but wafts of steam rose up to fog the air around her. Echo splashed more water on her arms, scrubbing herself with the heels of her palms.

She was alone, and, unfortunately, that gave her time to think.

She regretted her actions from earlier. She really did. Even thinking about how she'd acted then had her stomach roiling and shame curling in her stomach. She carried her guilt with her like a heavy stone, and she didn't think she would be able to discard it easily. Not only had she lifted a hand to Tygra, but she'd attacked Panthro - and Lion-O.

A heavy sigh escaped from her as Echo stared down at her reflection. Damp white hair fell limply around her face, the ends dripping with water. Her reflection rippled.

They had forgiven her. Easily.

Panthro had shrugged it off with ease, saying he understood her. He knew how she felt.

" _I've been there, kid. Ain't pretty, when something you want that bad gets taken from you_."

At least he understood.

Lion-O had looked at her, shook his head, and told her that an apology wasn't needed. He got it. And Echo knew that he did, really - he'd spent all that time with her in Thundera, listening to her recount on frustrated breaths how she wished she knew her past. Still, she planned on forcing him to accept her apology.

Tygra, on the other hand. . .

He said it wasn't a big deal, that he knew where she was coming from, but his body language told a different story. He was tense, and always kept her in his sights - like she was some dangerous criminal. Echo was okay with that - she knew she'd have to give the tiger time. She wasn't looking to be forgiven so quickly, especially after she had acted like some crazed lunatic.

Reaching down, Echo splayed her fingers over the water, making the ripples more intense.

"I felt like I was going nuts back there. I was just so desperate. . ." She sighed again, and closed her eyes, remembering the way her hands at clutched at the Book. She felt like she had been a step away from snapping, and inwardly, she was glad Panthro had intervened when he had.

She had one killer headache, and she knew she had severely overstressed herself.

By that same token, however, her unexplainable power burst had left her with many more questions than answers.

Echo, glad to take her mind off of her actions earlier, began to think. She had long theorized that her power was connected to her emotions. If she were too tired, too hungry, or too emotional, her powers flickered and faltered like a flame in the wind. Her rage, like everything else, was an emotion that blinded her, and often diluted her power.

But this time. . . It hadn't.

She had experienced raw, potent power unlike anything she'd ever felt before. . . And she knew it wasn't because of her training. She had been diligently practicing for. . . What, half a year, plus the time of their journey? She should not have been ale to lift up something that heavy, project a shield for that long, and repel Mumm-Ra's attack as she'd been able.

But she had.

It was almost as though. . . Her power had amplified.

" _Show me that power. Defend yourself._ "

Echo frowned as Mumm-Ra's voice echoed in her mind. She recalled that curious gleam to his eyes, that spark of familiarity that had given him pause for a moment. Why had he taken such an interest then?

Why, why, _why?_

Echo shook her head and rubbed at the base of her neck, determined to stop questioning everything. Nothing was going to make much sense to her now, given that the Book was a sham. . . And it had physically repelled her. Heaving another sigh, Echo stared down at the water again, trying her best not get completely swamped by sorrow.

All that work. . .

The ripples calmed, and the water's surface grew quite still. She peered down, her body coming into focus. . . And. . . The hell?

In the water, the entirety of her body was scarred to hell and back. Much like Panthro, most of her skin was mapped by scars. Some of them looked like knife wounds, while others were circular holes - caused by lasers, maybe? - and more disturbingly, a vast majority of them looked to be. . . Jagged.

Like they'd been made by claws.

Like they'd been made by animals.

Echo reeled at the thought, and hastily jerked her head down to look at her skin.

Nothing.

Save for a few scars she had gotten in her time in Thundera and on their journey, she was far from the heavily-scarred vision of herself in the water's surface. Echo looked back at the water, and found the scars still sitting there, some of them puckering in heavy lines on her skin. Rubbing at her temples, the white-haired human turned away from the middle of the pool and made her way to the side of it.

Her clothes were nicely dried and sitting there, waiting for her. She had washed them, to rid them of dirt and blood, and set them out to dry. Echo sat herself on a flat rock and set to twisting out her long, white hair, and did her best to ignore the ashen feeling in her mind. She guessed she would need a few more down days after this, but for now, she was up and running, so that was something.

Finished twisting out her hair, she raked her fingers through it, and set to getting dressed. After she had secured her bracers, Echo threw her scabbards over her back, and hesitated before grabbing the very last thing.

Sunda's hairband.

Echo held it reverently in her hand, lost in a torrent of memories. What would that spotted leopard think of her now, that she had thrown a crazy fit to end all crazy fits?

Echo toyed with the scrap of fabric for a moment longer before she deftly swept it over her head. Her hair whisked out of her face as she tied it tightly, and satisfied with her handiwork, Echo wandered away from the heated pool and back to the camp.

The Cats had erected a very basic camp down at the bottom of the spiraling rock leading up to the dais. It was a bit of a walk to get up and down, that was for certain, but nobody knew what would happen if they removed the Book from its currently location. For all they knew, the Tower of Omens might very well collapse and try to kill them.

So, while Lion-O tried to understand why the Book was blank, it had been genially accepted that everyone remain inside of the Tower. With the weary threat of Mumm-Ra still looming over the horizon, Echo knew it was a wise decision.

As the human drew closer to the camp, she heard the unmistakable voice of the twins - and Cheetara.

". . . means," The cleric was saying, "there won't be _any_ asking."

"We're not _dumb_ , Cheetara! We know Echo's not feeling very good right now-" Kat said.

"-and it's because the Book didn't show her her past-" Kit picked up.

"-and we know she's been wanting to know about it for a long time!" Kat finished.

"I have," Echo said, entering the camp. A fire had been built in the middle of the camp, and Echo made her way to it, basking in the heat as dusk began to fall, "But what I did. . . There's no excuse for it."

"What exactly did you-"

Cheetara placed a firm hand over Kat's mouth, cutting the kitten off mid-sentence.

"I _said_ ," The cleric emphasized, "This topic is not up for discussion."

Echo smiled gratefully at the cheetah. The cleric was as kind and understand as she could be quick and vicious in battle, and the human was grateful for it. She felt so ashamed for the way she'd reacted upon first laying eyes on the Book. . . If going back in time were an ability she possessed, she would have used it.

Kat, finally managing to squirm out of the cheetah's hold, glared angrily at the older Cat.

"Stop doing that!" The kitten bristled, "I don't like it!"

"Then don't ask questions." Cheetara replied easily.

Kat stood before the cleric, red dotting his cheeks as his anger rose - but Kit came to the rescue. She leaped up to her feet, grabbed her brother's hand, and quickly marched them both away before things could get ugly. _They're probably going to come up with some elaborate prank to get back at us for that one. . . Not looking forward to it._

Quiet fell on the camp, then, and Echo stared idly at the flames, glad for the warmth.

"That being said. . ." Cheetara started, softly, "I would like to know what caused your. . . Outburst."

Echo sat there for a long moment, drawing her knees up to her chest, and she continued to stare at the fire. Seconds passed in which she was silent, and eventually it transformed into a few minutes. It was so long, the cleric actually prompted her, repeating her name again. Out of the corner of her eye, Panthro and Tygra just stared at her, watching and listening intently.

"I was. . . So desperate. I wanted to know. Everything I wanted to know, right there, but it was just taken away from me. . . I can't put it into words, not exactly, but whenever I have flashbacks, I. . ." She trailed off, the words dying in her throat.

"You what?" Panthro said, voice equally as gently.

It was touching, really. They could have just demanded the truth from her. But here they were instead, asking her nicely.

"What memories I have - everything is soaked in blood and gunfire. People are dying around me, b-but it's like I don't _care_. Why? Why don't I? Why was I fighting? Why do I have these weird powers? I've been asking myself this since the day I woke up in Thundera. Almost a year, and I haven't gotten any farther to finding the truth."

Echo fell quiet as she continued to look at the fire. Silence fell upon them again, and finally, Panthro let out a thoughtful hum.

"Kid, I know you don't want to hear this, but sometimes. . . Some things are better left in the past. Maybe that's what the Book was trying to tell you. That you've got something really ugly, something that might be enough to break you. . ."

"I agree," Cheetara said, "The Book was rumored to have its own defense to guard it from people who might want to misuse it, but it didn't shock you right away. Which leads me to believe that the Book knew what you wanted, and that was its' way of trying to warn you."

A dry, bitter smile twisted up Echo's lips, and she shook her head, rubbing her temples again. The ashy feeling in her skull was still very much present, and a crushing headache was developing. Panthro was right - she really hadn't wanted to hear that. A chuckle as equally as bitter as the smile on her face threatened to crawl out of her throat.

"I know," Echo said, voice strained, "I _know_. But that's what makes it so hard. Because I want to know - so _bad_. I want to know why I'm so apathetic, why everyone is killing everyone. But from what I've seen already, I know I'm not going to like it. But it feels important to me. I have to know the truth. It's. . . I can't. . . I just have to find out. That's why I freaked out. The Book was going to be my golden ticket. But the pages are blank. . . I really am sorry I freaked out. I swear it won't happen again."

"I should hope not." Tygra interjected, "I'd rather not deal with you as a lunatic again."

"Tygra!" Cheetara reprimanded.

Echo shook her head.

"It's okay. Really. I kinda deserved that."

There was another beat of silence as she looked around the camp - and realized a certain redheaded lion wasn't present. Hoping to change the vein of conversation, Echo decided to switch topics.

"Where's Lion-O?"

Panthro pointed up to the dais.

"Up top, with the Book. No doubt trying to figure it out."

Echo stared up at the tower of rock, and silently rose to her feet.

"I'm going to head up, check up on him."

"You sure you be going anywhere near that thing?" Tygra asked, his voice cold as steel. Echo knew it was absolutely ridiculous to feel hurt by what he was saying, but it stung, all the same. She looked over to him and cut him a confident stare.

"I'm solid. I don't think it'd let me touch it if I tried, anyway. I'm just going to check up on him."

_And apologize for my actions earlier. . ._

Tygra opened his mouth, looking as though he wanted to protest, but Cheetara turned to her and smiled.

"I think it's a great idea. Go ahead and go on up. We'll be here."

Echo shot Cheetara a small smile, and then headed off to the rock pillar. She could feel the heavy weight of Tygra's gaze on her back, constantly watching her every move.

 _I'm not going to snap_ , she thought to herself, as her feet began to step on the wooden pegs leading upward, _I'm going to be calm about this._

Still. . . Echo found a tremor going through her hands at the thought of being in such close proximity with the Book. Because secretly. . . She wondered if she was going to lose control.

_No._

_I won't._

As she ascended the pegs, though, Echo hoped her newly-found resolve would last.

* * *

 

She chewed the inside of her cheek as she walked up the improvised staircase. Her footsteps rang out, echoing in the space around her with a hollow _clack clack_ noise. Her throat had dried out again, and her stomach was knotting - but for an entirely different reason. She was nervous. It was irrational, really, that she would be scared. Lion-O had already forgiven her - but she worried that he hadn't _really_ accepted her apology.

And she had screwed up pretty badly.

She worried the inside of her cheek a little more forcefully and slowed her pace so she wouldn't reach the top so quickly.

It was almost hard to imagine that, just a few hours prior, she'd been sprinting up the wooden pegs like her life had depended on it. In a way, it almost kind of had. . . She breathed in deeply, and then exhaled, fiddling with her fingers in an attempt to quell the shaking. She really needed to get her mind off of life and death matters. She needed to keep things straight in her head - she was traversing up the tower to go talk to Lion-O and _really_ apologize for what had happened.

And apology taken at face value really didn't mean much to a girl like Echo.

Her time going upwards continued to wind down, becoming shorter and shorter, and eventually, she stopped just a few feet below coming flush with the dais. Her heart was skipping beats in her chest, and it took everything she had inside of her not to turn around and bolt back down the way she'd come. Guilt swelled and crested inside of her, and she chewed her cheek harder, fiercely fiddling with her fingers as she replayed the events of earlier that day.

"Just, go up there," She whispered to herself, "And apologize. You've been working on an apology ever since you started walking up here. Just. . . Go."

Before she could talk herself out of it, Echo forced herself to walk up a few more pegs. Her head popped over the surface of the dais, and she knew it was past the point of no return. Lion-O had impeccable eyesight, and her white hair was a stark giveaway to her position at times.

"Lion-O, I came up here to. . ." Echo paused and trailed off, finding Snarf bouncing up to her.

The small creature sat on his haunches and began to gesticulate wildly with his hands, making desperate 'mraow' noises. When Echo just stood there and stared at the tiny pet, Snarf got onto his hands and knees and started to run desperately in circles.

"Snarf, what's - Lion-O!"

Fear bolted through Echo as she saw the prone figure of the king on the dais. He wasn't sleeping. Snarf wouldn't have been acting like he was if Lion-O was just taking a catnap. No, the way that Lion-O had fallen on the ground, it indicated that he'd been attacked. Echo's first thought was that Mumm-Ra had returned, unbeknownst to them, and used some form of trickery to subdue the lion.

The human raced over to her friend's side and dropped to her knees beside him, hands frantically searching his chest and torso for injuries. Scratches, sword wounds - anything to indicate a battle.

"Lion-O, wake up. C'mon, what's wrong? You need to wake up and talk. . ." Echo's voice died again as Snarf bit on her sleeve and tugged. Having gained her attention, he dashed over to the Book and nudged it with his nose.

It took a moment, but Echo looked from the Book, and then back to the lion, and then back to the Book again. _The Book did this. But what did it do, exactly?_ Echo turned back to her friend, and gently, placed a hand over his forehead. No fever. Two fingers went to his throat, and she felt a slow, calm, and steady pulse. Idly, she brushed a strand of his mane from his eyes and then turned her attention to the Book.

She needed. . .

She needed to touch it.

Hold it.

Maybe she could - maybe there was a way that she could stretch her telekinesis to discover what was happening. She had no idea how she was going to manage such a feat, but surely there had to be a way. Getting to unsteady feet, Echo reluctantly left the unconscious lion's side to stride over to the Book. Her heart started to pound in her chest, so she stopped right before it, feet nearly grazing the cover.

There were many subtle details she'd never noticed before. The jewel set into its' cover was a deep, bright red - just like the jewel in Omens. The Book had a heavy, metallic feel to it. The cover didn't appear to actually be a hard card stock, but instead resembled a metal alloy of some kind. Heavy clamps laid all over the book, and bits and strange grey pieces protruded from it.

 _It looks like technology for some reason_.

Echo shook her head and knelt down, reaching a bare hand forward to touch the jewel. She cleared her mind entirely, enough though there was a voice in the back of her mind that begged and pleaded for her to barter with the Book. Something in exchange for the keys to her past. . . _I need to do this. For Lion-O._ Echo breathed out deeply and reached forward, hoping and praying to whatever deities listening that the Book would not repel her again.

Her fingers inched down, the tremor starting anew, and then her fingertips were brushing over the jewel over its' center - and a bright, illuminating light issued forth. Echo reeled back, snatching back her hands in anticipation of another shock. To her great relief, however, none came. _Hands still burn from the last one. . ._

The light formed a rough cone, brightly coloring the air before her, and from the jewel, shadows gathered, and began to rise - and Echo's heart completely stopped.

Tears burned in her eyes, and a broken, bitter smile came to life on her face.

"Jaga. . . Jaga!"

The cleric stood before her, a ghostly vision, but he was _there_.

Echo scrambled back to her feet, just barely suppressing the urge to launch herself forward and wrap Jaga up in a tight embrace. The only thing stopping her was Jaga's visage. He kept flickering around the edges, and carried a slightly misty tint, almost as though he were a ghost. Still. Echo felt her heart soar laying eyes on the cleric again. She'd thought that he'd died, just like the others, whittling away more of her happiness.

" _Echo_ ," Jaga said, " _I am pleased to see you alive and well_."

"I am!" She answered quickly, fearing he'd disappear again, "We all are! And we made it to the Book, Jaga. Everything we ever wished for is just a few pages away. We just need to learn how to use it!"

A happy smile creased Jaga's face, and he looked at her with such a pleased expression at their achievements. Echo beamed, remembering a time he'd stroke her hair in affirmation or clasp a hand on her shoulder and squeeze. A moment later, and Jaga's expression evened out again, and he looked at Echo with a calm look.

" _I'm proud of all of you. I knew that you could do it. . . But, Echo, I have come to tell you something. . . you may not want to hear._ "

"What is it, Jaga?" Echo asked. After everything that had happened over the past two days, she was fairly certain she could handle it.

Jaga was silent for a moment, and finally, the cleric closed his eyes.

" _Echo, I will not allow you to use the Book_."

Confusion rose inside of the young human, and she stared at the cleric. Her happy bubble was popped as understanding dawned on her, and horror and despair rose inside of her. She had promised herself that she wouldn't snap, but she could feel the threads fraying as seconds passed. She stared at Jaga, hardly realizing that tears were building in her eyes.

"W-What?" She stammered, disbelief heavy in her voice.

" _I am sorry_. _I truly am sorry, Echo. . . But I will never allow you to use the Book._ "

And then Jaga. . . Faded.

Echo stared as the light disappeared, and along with it, Jaga's ghostly form.

Echo stood there, and then down at the Book, and then to her unconscious friend.

The glowing gold of the setting sun fell on her, and she turned to the open columns surrounding the antechamber. Numbly, her feet trekked forward. Reality began to settle on her, and frustration bubbled inside of her.

"But. . . But why, Jaga? It isn't fair. . . The memories are mine."

Her legs started to feel like rubber, and after Echo took another step, she collapsed. Her knees gave out, and she fell, right at the edge of the dais. Tears began to fall, burning as they streaked down and dripped off of her cheeks. A hiccup escaped from her throat, and then another. . . Before a few moments had passed, there came a fierce sob, followed by several more.

Echo pitched forward, clutching at the rock and sobbing for all she was worth.

She'd failed. She'd _failed._

She heard distant footsteps racing up the pegs, but Echo remained where she was, fingers digging painfully into the rock. She felt. . . God, she didn't even know how she felt. She wanted to lash out. She wanted to do something other than cry, but she just didn't have the strength in her.

"Echo! Lion-O!" Tygra shouted as he reached the top of the antechamber. The heavy footfalls of Panthro were just a second behind him.

"Kid, what happened? What did you do?"

A bitter smile twisted up her lips.

_What I've done._

I suppose, in a roundabout way, it

is _my fault._

For wanting to know the truth.

"J-Jaga. . ." She choked, her voice barely above a whisper, "Barred me from the Book. Forever. He won't let me use it."

More footsteps, and an even greater audience joined them all.

"What do you mean? Why?"

"Echo, what happened?" Cheetara said, she could feel the cleric approaching her, a hand outstretched.

Echo went utterly rigid, and a small, choked, 'don't' came from her. The cheetah withdrew.

"Look! Lion-O's waking up!" Kit said.

She could hear Lion-O stirring behind her, but Echo didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to hear anything. Still, she didn't possess the strength to move. She just sat there, wallowing in her emotions.

She heard Lion-O come up to a stand behind her, a weary groan leaving him.

"It's okay. I'm fine. . . And even better, I know what we have to do."

_I'm glad one of us does._

Echo didn't move, even when Lion-O and the others tried to ply her. Eventually, the ThunderCats, realizing she needed her space, left her alone on the dais as the sun disappeared and night began to descend. As darkness wrapped around her, and a cold specific only to the jungle settled on her skin, the tears finally stopped.

Echo sat there, holding her knees to her chest, and closed her eyes.

"I just. . . Want to know why." She said, her voice echoing quietly in the space around her.

_What have I done to spurn you and the Book, Jaga?_

The darkness and the silence were her only answers.

. . . And as it stretched on, Echo instinctively knew she'd never discover the answer.


	11. The Duelist and the Drifter

Echo was far from happy.

She sat on top of the Thundertank, doing her best to ignore the irritating sounds of drilling, hammering, and tinkering. The sun didn't bother her - and either did the searing hot metal of the tank. Anything was better than being inside of it. Beneath her, she could hear Tygra and Panthro bickering with one another - a rhetoric they'd been at for well over a few hours now. The pair were attempting to install the new object of her loathing into the Thundertank as some kind of guidance system. . .

And just the thought of that made two equally sharp pangs of rage and sorrow wash through her.

Beneath her, the Tank whirred to life, and she grabbed her knees, clutching them closer to her chest. In the distance, she could see the Tower of Omens, looming as an obelisk of bad memories. Soon, when the Book was installed, they would move out. And she would be far away from this place. . . But the Book would be right there, right in the dashboard, taunting her.

She grit her teeth as images of Jaga's resigned expression flashed through her mind.

The Tank whirred underneath her, quickly climbing to full power, but a moment later, she felt a shiver pass through it. A sickening spluttering noise came from the engine, and a moment later, plumes of smoke shot out of the exhaust pipes, and several critical relays in the machine short-circuited. Though it was wrong, and it wasn't their fault at all, Echo took a sadistic pleasure when the Tank spluttered again and shut down with a pathetic whine.

". . . Yeah, we're gonna be here for a while. . ." Tygra said, his tone exasperated.

"Maybe we'll have more luck with the supplies." Panthro countered, grumbling as he disappeared into the vehicle.

Tygra swiveled around, and Echo flicked her eyes to him for a moment before resuming her ever-watchful sentry of the Tower.

"So. . . You just gonna sit there and sulk all day?"

Quicker than he could blink, Echo whipped her head to face him.

" _Excuse_ me?" She snapped, anger in her voice.

She had an outlet. Oh, man, she couldn't wait to use it.

Tygra, to his credit, looked thoroughly unafraid of her.

"All you've been doing is just sitting around and moping-"

Echo got to her feet, a fist clenched. She was going to sock Tygra right across the cheek, and she was going to relish it _so_ much-

A hand laid on her shoulder, and Echo turned again. She wasn't fond of people restraining her, not anymore, and if Panthro thought that he was going to be able to do it, he'd have another thing coming. But no. The Cat standing behind her was Cheetara. Understanding and empathy were reflected in her eyes.

"What Tygra _meant_ to say, Echo, is that we think it might be a good idea if you took a walk. Just for a little bit. Help get your mind off things?"

Echo wanted to tell her to go to hell. She knew what she was trying to do, and it wasn't going to work. Cheetara was feeling _sorry_ for her. A flicker of movement caught her eye, and she saw the twins peeking over the tank. . . And they looked worried. Worried and scared. Echo remembered her breakdown, and the way she'd attacked the Cats right before the Book had repelled her, the way she'd sobbed until her stomach and throat had ached.

She was the cause of that fear.

. . . Echo didn't like that. She wanted to see them smile again.

She shrugged off the cleric's hold and went to the back of the tank. Lion-O was emerging from the transport, a bag on his shoulders. . . And another one in his hands. Echo hopped down, hearing murmured comments about her from a certain tiger - but were quickly put to rest by a sharp 'hush' from Cheetara.

The lion shot her a smile and offered the bag, which Echo snatched out of his grip and began to throw it on. Snarf looked up at her with an unhappy 'mraow' but she ignored him. Lion-O grinned at her, his smile incredibly happy, and Echo wanted to smack it off of his face.

She glared at him.

"I really don't want to go."

"I know!" He chirped.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm pissed."

"Yup, I can see that. Alright, everyone, we'll be heading out now - be back in a few hours!"

Without another word, Lion-O grabbed her wrist and began to drag her along with him, happy smile still in place on his face. Echo snapped at him, trying to fight him - she was in no mood to go anywhere - but he seemed oblivious to all of her efforts to flee. Minutes passed before Lion-O finally allowed her to wrest herself out of his hold, and Echo glared at his back, rubbing at the skin on her wrist.

"I can walk by myself, thank you." She growled.

Anger bubbled in her gut as she looked at the lion.

She'd been. . . Incredibly cold and hostile to Lion-O over the course of the past day. It wasn't _fair_. The Book completely and totally accepted him, no question, and it denied _her?_ Moreso, he'd seen things. She knew that he had. Additionally, she knew her anger was irrational. She shouldn't direct it to her friend, but god, she just couldn't help herself.

Jealousy was an ugly, nasty beast, and right then and there, she wasn't sure she wanted to force it into submission. She _liked_ wallowing in her own anger and self-pity, thank you very much. After craving the truth for over six months, and being violently denied after facing such obstacles, she felt she was owed a little bit of time to be pissy.

They were walking on a dirt road, and the silence that settled between them was acidic.

Well, that was courtesy of Echo, really.

Minutes passed in silence, and Echo was glad for it. Lion-O, knowing starting a conversation was useless. He began to hum. Echo bore that in quiet silence until Echo snapped at him - and he stopped. Her nerves felt like a downed power line, raw and exposed, cracking and snapping at every opportunity.

It was a relief when they began to approach a settlement in the distance.

As they drew nearer, Echo stared at it.

 _That doesn't look intimidating at all_.

Swords, melted together, formed a high, sharp barrier. It guarded the town against invaders, and if Echo was thinking right, probably warned the rest of the people away. High above, a factory rose, spewing out smoke and soot. The scent of burning metal greeted them, and Echo itched, hand instinctively tracing one of the scabbards on her back. If her precious swords were melted down somehow, she was fairly certain she'd lose it.

They were one of the last remaining artifacts of Thundera.

"This doesn't look intimidating at all." Lion-O said. Echo's lips twitched into a ghost of a smile.

Snarf jumped, startled, and gave a startled "Mrr!" as he clung to Lion-O's leg. Echo stared, trying to find the source of his fear, but the only thing she could come up with was the skull of a dead animal strapped to an entryway, and a crow sat on it, cawing down at them.

"I've heard stories about towns like this," Lion-O continued, "Just never seen one before. . . Hey, it's okay, Snarf. we'll get what we need for the Tank and leave."

"Good." Echo said, voice deadpan.

As they were about to move, another voice interrupted them.

"Think you could lend a hand, friend?"

Both of them turned, and there, on the wall surrounding the town, was a rabbit. More specifically, one that had caught himself on the swords, and just happened to be swaying in the breeze.

"Up here!" He called, "I seem to have snagged myself. . . Again."

He sounded quite calm about it, as though he did this every day.

"What are you?" Lion-O asked.

Echo rolled her eyes.

" _Who_ are you?" She corrects, tone snappish.

"Just a drifter, I suppose." He said languidly, not looking bothered by his situation at all.

Without another word, Lion-O jumped up onto the barrier and began to pull him free. The rabbit floated in the air, like a leaf, defying all laws of gravity. He landed on the fence posts and looked at Echo, a dull gleam of curiosity in his eye.

"And _what_ , pray tell, are you, Missy?"

"What the hell does it matter to _you?_ " Echo snapped.

Lion-O jumped down and joined them, jogging over and laughing nervously as he shook Echo's shoulder.

"Don't mind her! She woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

The rabbit - Drifter, Echo mentally named him - rolled his swatch of willow leaves between his lips and flicked his eyes between them.

"I can see that. Anyway, thanks for the assist."

"Maybe you can return the favor. We're looking for supplies?"

"Well, I'd suggest finding them somewhere else," Drifter said, tone amiable, "This is a swordsman's town, stranger. . . And they duel for keeps. Leave. Before it's too late - or don't. I don't care!" He turned over, laying on his back, and folded his hands behind his head.

Beside her, Lion-O grinned, cocky and reassuring, and drew Omens.

"I can handle myself alright, don't you worry."

Drifter chuckled.

"This town _loves_ guys like you, swaggering around with your fancy sword thinking you _can't_ lose. But you will!" And then, under his breath, he softly added, "They all do."

Echo detected a slight waver to his voice, but she didn't think much of it. The piece of willow between his lips gave everything he said a slow drawl.

"Look, are you going to add _any_ helpful advice? Or are you just going to spout cryptic nonsense all day long?" She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

" _Echo!_ " Lion-O hissed.

Drifter stared, seeming completely and totally fine with her attitude. He cracked open one eye lazily and looked at her.

"Not very patient, are you? Anyway, like I said, take my advice and blow on out of here. . . Or don't. I don't care."

A gust of wind traveled by and Drifter was picked up. His body moved like liquid, floating and twisting on the breeze. As he slowly traveled away, they watched him, amazed at his flexibility. When he was a safe distance away, Lion-O turned to her and pinned her with a stern glare. She blinked in surprise as he regarded her, all of his features drawn tight in barely-leashed irritation.

" _Look_ , you might be in a rotten mood, but that gives you _no_ right to act like that! You could get us both _killed_ if you mouth off to the wrong stranger."

"Doesn't stop you." She remarked, popping a hand up on one of her hips, "In fact, a lot of things don't seem to apply to you-"

" _Echo_."

Echo stopped, pursing her lips.

Lion-O looked at her, opening his mouth to reprimand her, but he paused, and sighed. In the span of a heartbeat, his expression softened, and a tired smile creased his face.

"I brought you here so you could relax, okay? I wanted to help you get your mind off things. That's all I want. I promise. Can you do that for me?"

For a long moment, Echo stood there. She contemplated being pissy for a little while longer, but. . . Lion-O really didn't deserve what she was doing. It wasn't his fault. After several long moments, she eventually relaxed and nodded her head. She didn't apologize, though she really should have, but Lion-O's smile widened and he grasped her shoulder.

"Alright. Baby steps," Lion-O said, "Well. . . He was strange. Let's go in and see if they're all that weird, yeah?"

* * *

 

The town was populated and busy, that was for certain. Echo walked closely by Lion-O, taking in the town's interior. Animals of all shapes, breeds, and sizes, but in terms of numbers, Thundera had been at least five times more populated. Echo wasn't claustrophobic, so she didn't mind too much. Vendors and warriors cluttered the main throughway, eagerly swapping goods with one another.

Echo breathed in and out slowly as memories of the slums sluggishly crawled through her mind.

_I miss secret missions to buy Jorma's goods. . ._

A flash of sadness traveled through her.

_Jorma. . ._

I miss him.

"Remember when we used to go to Jorma's?"

Echo startled, wondering just how Lion-O was capable of reading her mind today, but when he only looked at her and offered a cheeky grin, she relaxed. No, he wasn't reading her mind. They were just. . . Oddly in-synch today, apparently. Turning to the lion, she gave him a tiny smile of her own, one of her hands coming up to stroke the ends of a hairband tied into her hair.

"I do. You don't know the troubles I went through to escape Sunda's watchful eye."

"Oh, you don't know the troubles _I_ had to go through to escape the palace guard!"

Echo laughed.

And. . . She had to admit. It felt good.

"No way! Sunda figured out about my rope out of the window, the pillow decoy, the paint I used to color my hair and my body-"

"Oh, god! I remember that stuff. You looked like a horribly-painted kitten. It looked _so bad_. I'm sorry I even suggested dying your hair!"

Echo shot him an irritated glare, but it was halfhearted at best. Within moments, that scowl had transformed into something of a smirk, which quickly turned into a smile. And before she knew it, she was laughing, and Lion-O was joining in, and Echo was glad for it. It had been a long while since she'd laughed this hard, and after her spectacular blow up yesterday. . . It felt warranted. Good.

She was still chuckling when they approached a vendor's booth that Lion-O pointed out. They strode over, and Echo scrubbed at some buildup moisture in her eyes as they placed their order. Breathing out a contented sigh, Echo watched as Lion-O dropped three golden coins into his hands.

The vendor paused, examining the coins.

"Wait, this is a Thunderian shilling, right? Well, I'm afraid we don't deal with _antiques_." With a practiced flip, he used his thumb to fling the coin back to Lion-O.

Echo stared.

Their money had never been refused before. . . But it had been a few months since the last time they had had to stop for supplies.

"But Thunderian coins were once the most prized in the land."

"But now," The vendor said, crossing his arms over his chest moodily, "They're relics of a fallen empire."

Lion-O scratched his head in bemusement, and Echo stared at him.

"How are we going to get money, Lion-O?" She asked.

The vendor let out a loud 'hmph!', drawing their attention back to him.

"What everyone else here does, of course!" He said, impatiently pointing, "Sword competition! Not that you two look like you can measure up."

Echo's irritation bubbled underneath the thin veil of happiness she'd been feeling. She was about to launch off and tell him just _what_ she'd done, the animals she'd added to her body count, but Lion-O grabbed her hand, as if sensing her incredibly bad mood, and began to drag her off.

"Let's do this! It's right over there, see, Echo?"

He pointed to an obelisk with deep rends in it. A large, cheering crowd was gathered around it. As they drew nearer, the noise of the crowd escalated, growing so loud it was almost deafening. A good couple of handfuls of swordsmen stood around, cheering as a competitor approached the towering black rock.

The animal approached, bearing a rather large sword. Echo's hands ached at the sight of it - she wouldn't have been able to swing it if she tried!

The swordsman held it up, letting the blade glimmer in the sunlight.

"The great Olicat!" He shouted proudly, "Its' blade was forged in the lava pits of Mt. Tiramabu! Witness its awesome power!"

With a heavy shove of his muscles, the dog reared his sword back and swung. The sword made a loud _shing_ as it sliced through the rock like butter, and while it wasn't very big, it was certainly larger than others in the rock - and the blade is undamaged and clean. The cheers of the crowd grew louder as the judge came out of the sea of bodies and measured the cut.

The swordsman pumped his fist into the air in victory as he was declared the newest victor by far.

A pig swaggered out of the crowd, cocky and swaggering.

_I think I'm beginning to see what Drifter was talking about. . ._

"Nice," The pig says, "But nothing compares to _my_ sword. The gods _themselves_ fear its edge - _behold!_ "

He cocked his arms back and swung, wildly uttering a battlecry. Echo grimaced as she watched him - he was out of shape, and he wasn't even holding the hilt right. Echo cringed when he whacked it up against the rock with little grace or elegance. It produced a hollow _klang_ , and then a moment later, shattered. The pig turned a deep, cherry red, and walked away in shame, the laughs of the crowd hot on his heels.

Another swordsman parted from the crowd, and the people gathered silenced.

"The wind," He said, fangs poking out over his gums, "The trees. The morning dew on a delicate orchid - all tremble before my beauty of a bade. . . Kurokai."

Echo didn't know what breed he was. He was just some kind of creature. He was also covered in so many bandages, it was a wonder he could walk. Idly, Echo mused, it was probably what she looked like when she had first come to Thundera.

She focused on him again as he rushed forward and swung, and instantly, she could tell that his swordplay was impressive. The judge jogged forward and measured, before declaring him the overall winner.

"Is there no one else who will accept the challenge?" The judge asked, voice ringing out across the clearing.

"I accept!"

"Lion-O! What are you doing?" She asked, turning to the lion. He'd raised his hand and everything. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and claustrophobia began to set in. She really didn't want to be there anymore. It was one of their survival rules - no drawing attention to the group.

Especially in towns.

Who the hell knew where Mumm-Ra's spies were. . .

Murmurs traveled through the crowd. They're intrigued.

Echo barely suppressed a flinch when Omens was thrust in front of her, metal gleaming in the light.

"L-Lion-O?" She asked, glancing at him uncertainly.

"Kiss it."

Echo started in shock.

"What?!"

"For luck! It's one of our customs. You know that!"

Echo's cheeks flushed as a hot blush filled her face. Old friends and wives would kiss the blade of the person they wanted to protect. . . Or wish them luck. Echo leaned forward, looking at Lion-O, but he was smiling, nothing more. Omens would be more appropriate to kiss than the blade itself, so Echo did, a fierce heat on her cheeks.

She tried not to read too much into it when Omens flashed brightly and gave a happy hum.

Lion-O gave her a wink as he walks out of the crowd, a bright grin on his face.

"Do you have anything to say?" The judge queried loudly, voice echoing over the arena.

"Only to the other competitors: you're all vying for second place!"

_So much for not drawing attention to ourselves._

Every swordsman laughed, and despite the hot flush on her cheeks, she smiled secretly to herself. Nobody knew Omens at all.

Lion-O drew Omens, and Echo could feel the blade's excitement. Her hands were shaking - almost as though she were holding the blade itself. The Cat stood before the rock, calm and composed before the rock. With a cry of effort, he swung. Moments passed, and there was no cracking of rock, no slash to be seen.

The crowd began to snicker and chuckle and point, but Lion-O calmly sheathed Omens.

There came a small chipping noise, then, and the crowd quieted as it began to grow louder. The rock began to crack-

And then shattered cleanly down the middle, splitting entirely in two.

On the outside of the dirt ring erected around the rock, the entire crowd cheered for Lion-O. Echo ran forward, bursting through the ring of animals, happiness rushing through her. She slid to a stop right in front of the lion and eagerly grabbed his hands and jumped up and down happily.

"You did it, Lion-O! Ah, I can't believe it! It split in _two!_ "

For a moment. . .

A blissful, wonderful moment, Echo was in the past.

Just like old times. Before the Book refused her, before things got complicated. Before the war.

Lion-O grinned at her, blue eyes lighting from the inside at her happiness.

She only separates from her friend long enough for him to accept his winnings from the judge.

* * *

 

The vendor didn't even look perturbed at his earlier actions, which kind of irked Echo, but wisely, she was quiet. She was actually kind of happy right then and there, and she didn't want to get all pissy for nothing. She was elated, upon discovering, that Lion-O's winnings easily covered their supplies - and then some! She grinned as she looked at their new haul.

"Anything else you might be needing?" The vendor asked.

Lion-O shook his head, giving the vendor an amiable smile.

"No, I think we have everything we need."

"Thank you."

Echo reached forward, grabbing a newly-purchased pack that wasn't worn with age. Lion-O had surprised her with his wise thinking. Instead of purchasing all of their supplies at this vendor, he planned on hitting up a few more towns and slowly buying new packs and gear for everyone. She wasn't sure if it was just because she was with him, or her still-irritable mood, but she'd been the first one to get a new pack. Something she was thoroughly enjoying as she was cinching it over her body. It would take some wiggling to get her swords to fit nicely and still be functional, but that would give her a project to work on.

Keeping her hands occupied seemed like the cure she just needed.

"That was an impressive victory, young lord," A smooth voice said, interrupting them. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Duelist, and you, my friend, have something I desire."

Echo stared at the so-called Duelist and really took him in. She couldn't determine what species he was, but she knew she didn't like the look of him at all. Though he was dressed to the nines, he exuded an aura of smarmy-ness, and that just made her spine crawl.

Lion-O was examining him, casting a crucial eye onto the stranger. Echo took a step forward, drawing the Duelist's attention.

"Sorry," She said, attempting to be amiable, "Snarf isn't for sale."

She felt Snarf duck under her legs and clutch at her ankles, cowering behind her. _Poor thing, I don't know how many times somebody offered to buy him outright!_

"I'm not here for your. . . pet," The Duelist said. He gestured to Lion-O, "I'm here to test _your_ sword against _my_ best blade. Winner takes all."

Echo stared at the blue-skinned man. Was he serious? Lion-O would never be stupid enough to bet Omens. Especially when the Duelist was sure to lose. Lion-O might not have been the most spectacular swordsman in all of Third Earth, but he hadn't lost a battle yet.

"Not interested," Lion-O said, tone growing serious, "I've already proved I've got the best sword in town."

"Indeed," The Duelist agreed, "The Sword of Omens is legendary, even in these parts. . . But it's not your blade that needs to prove itself. It's you."

 _He knows about the Sword of Omens?_ Echo thought. Her stomach started to clench in a way that suggested that ill tidings were coming, and it was probably a good idea for them to ditch town. She gave Lion-O a nervous stare, attempting to convey her unease.

"I said no." Lion-O asserted, quietly, a harsh growl in his voice.

Echo pivoted back, facing the Duelist again. Heavy moments of silence continued to grow between them, until Echo walked over to her friend and grabbed his hand. She started to walk, guiding him away.

"We don't want any trouble. We're leaving." She spoke quietly, but firmly.

"A wise decision. Perhaps if the last owner of that sword had shared your cowardice, he'd still be alive. And you would still have your empire."

At that, Lion-O jerked his hand out of hers and growled, fangs flashing.

"What are the stakes?" He hissed.

The Deulist grinned, looking very much like a child who had gotten his way. Like he knew what he had been going to get it all along.

"If you win, you get my best sword. If I win, I get Omens. . . And her."

Duelist looked at her, bloody red eyes narrowing as he took her in. It took her a moment to finally register the fact that the Duelist was talking about _her_ , but when she did, she wanted to laugh. Echo felt like she'd been dipped in slime, and she barely suppressed her disbelief. What kind of an idiot did the Duelist think Lion-O was? There was _no way_ he would offer her up into slavery-

"Deal."

Echo spun around in horror, mouth open as she stared in absolute shock.

"L- _Lion-O!_ "

"Relax, Echo," He soothed, "I won't lose. You might as well hand over your best sword right now." The lion said, his ears flicking down to convey his displeasure.

"The town square. High noon." The Duelist replied, a dark grin on his face.

Echo didn't bother watching the smarmy creep walk away. She continued to stare at her friend, one who had just bet her freedom on his ability to duel. . . With someone who reeked of foul play. When the Cat finally looked back at her, he seemed a bit taken aback by her expression.

"What?" He asked, sounding thoroughly confused.

Echo. . .

She stood, feeling a barrage of nasty threats just waiting to rain down upon her stupid friend. Even Snarf gave Lion-O a hiss of displeasure.

" _What?_ "

"No," She replied icily, "Just. . . No. I'll talk to you again when I don't feel the urge to hit you."

"You've sure got guts, kid," The vendor said, interrupting their little spat, "The Duelist is a legend in these parts. Did you see those swords on his back? They're trophies from all those who have fought him - and lost. He is without conscience or morals, and he won't stop until his greedy thirst is slaked. . .

"Now he wants _your_ sword. And that curious friend you have there. . . And they will be his."

_They._

THEY.

Indignation coursed through Echo, hot and heavy. She spun on her heel and stormed up to the vendor's booth. The small, troll-like creature jumped back in surprise when Echo smacked her hands down onto the wooden desk.

"No, he _won't_ lose, and do I look like a _they_ to you?!" She snapped, unholy fury in her voice.

Without another word, she seized Lion-O's hand and stormed away, intent on making _sure_ he good and ready for his duel in a few hour's time.

Lion-O protested as she frog-marched him through the town, but she didn't let him wrest his way out of her hold. She was looking, scanning and searching for a suitable place that would serve as a good practice zone - and found one.

A forge, hot, but empty, framed a semi-messy graveyard of half-finished swords. Likely it was for the apprentices, and it just happened to be their luck that it was empty that day. Finally releasing the lion, Echo worked on dropping the pack from her back, and eased it down to the ground. Task completed, she drew both of her swords and faced down the Cat standing opposite her.

And practice began.

Echo let Lion-O be her punching bag. . . And if she were being honest with herself, she was getting a little too into it. But, it felt just way too good to vent off her indignation and her irritation over the past two days. _And_ , her own friend had offered her up into slavery.

If he lost. . . But still!

Their swords rang out as they clashed, blades flashing in the light. An hour passed, and they were stretching well into two before Echo paused. Her muscles held a familiar burn to them, and the sweat that was developing on her face felt good, for once. It had been a long while since she'd sparred for fun. . .

And Lion-O had been kind enough to allow himself to be her sparring partner today.

 _What a good friend. When somebody offers him into slavery, I'll be sure to extend the favor_.

Echo was about to launch back into it before Lion-O lifted his hand.

"Okay. Alright," He wheezed, "I need to rest a little bit. . . You're going kind of hard on me."

Echo shot him the most indignant glare she could muster.

"Can you blame me?"

His cheeks flushed, and his hand came up to nervously scratch at his neck.

_At least he has the decency to look sheepish about it._

"Ah, no, I can't. . . Look, I'm sorry. It was a spur of the moment thing, he was talking about my dad - I swear it won't happen again."

Echo sighed heavily as she returned her swords to their scabbards.

"Lion-O, I know you don't want to hear this, but it's been six months. You really need to stop letting people get under your skin like that-"

"Echo-" Lion-O hedged, sending her a look that read, ' _traveling on thin ice there_.'

"-let me finish. It's wonderful you're honoring your father's memory. But just think about what you did, Lion-O. You offered me up into slavery. _Slavery_. Because he took a jab at your father's honor."

The lion chewed on that, thinking. Snarf, sitting upon a pile of discarded swords, looked up at the Cat and mewled.

"I know, Snarf. It was stupid. I'm sorry - I _swear_ I really am. But I'm confident. I swear. _Nothing_ the Duelist has in that scabbard can beat the Sword of Omens!"

 _It better not_ , a voice added acidly in her mind.

"Oh, look. There's that ego kicking in again." Came a lazy voice.

Both of them turned to see the Drifter, dangling from a sword point again, floating int he breeze. In greeting, he waved at the pair airily.

"Mind helping me down?" The rabbit asked, looking content in just sitting there.

"Drifter," Lion-O greeted, weariness in his voice, "I know what you're gonna tell me - that I shouldn't have accepted his challenge."

"Uhm, _yeah_." Echo snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Why would I care what you do?" Drifter asked, "You're the one who's going to lose his sword, not me. Not to mention you bargained Missy into indentured servitude. . ."

In response, Lion-O lifted Omens up, watching the sword gleam in the light. For a moment, Echo most certainly agreed with the Drifter - she could practically _see_ Lion-O's ego with gigantic signs saying, ' _pop me!_ '

"I can swing steel a lot better than you think." He said, waving Omens around a little.

Drifter smiled, patient and tolerant, as though he were talking down to a child.

"You coulda fooled me with those moves. Why, even if you tried, you couldn't split this willow swatch!"

"You're _insane_ ," Lion-O returned, "Did you see what this sword did to that _boulder?!_ "

Drifter chuckled.

"If I only had your spirit. But the fight left me long go. I'm a good sport - how about I give you three swings?"

"I'll do it in one!" Lion-O said, confidence ( _too much, if you ask me_ ) ringing out in his voice.

Echo searched the courtyard and found a long reed pole. She picked it up and gently maneuvered it underneath Drifter's scarf. She brought him down to the ground, and set to righting him, as a strong gust of wind picked up and threatened to blow him away. Despite his unkempt appearance, Echo found he was actually quite clean, she'd half expected his fur to be filled with gunk and twigs-

A very familiar electric tingle wove through her arm, and quicker than a flash, she snatched her hand away, heart racing. _Please don't let me be lost in someone else's memories, please please_ please!

"Why thank you, Missy. How kind of you. Not angry anymore, are we?"

"No." She mumbled, rubbing her hand.

If Drifter noticed, he didn't say anything.

"Ah, well. Don't worry, you'll get angry again soon. I promise you'll get used to life in the Duelist's care."

Echo tossed the reed stick aside with a nasty snarl and stalked a good distance away, deciding that Snarf's company was much more desirable in that moment. The sharp tips of swords threatened to flay her open, but she hardly cared. Instead, Snarf crawled into her lap, and Echo found herself petting Lion-O's caretaker, hoping to alleviate more of her rampant emotions.

A cry of effort brought her attention back up, but she lost interest when she found - predictably - that Lion-O was missing Drifter's willow swatch by a wide margin.

"That's one!" Drifter said.

"Two!"

Lion-O kept shouting, covering up whatever Drifter was saying, but after a few moments, the din quieted. A pang of fear bolted through her, and she closed her eyes, momentarily stilling in her petting of Snarf.

 _I_ am _going to be the Duelist's new pet_ , she thought grimly.

"That was certainly more than three, but I don't care. I made my point."

"There was a _point?_ " Lion-O growled.

Drifter was talking, but. . . Echo paused.

And she looked up.

Fear flooded through her.

_Oh, no, no, no!_

The landscape was fading, the wind kicking up dirt and revealing fragrant, healthy grass underneath it. She swallowed as she bit her cheek, hard, pinched her arm - but nothing worked. Pain wasn't rooting her back in the present. In a move of desperation, Echo even sliced open her index finger on a rusty sword, but that didn't help, either.

In moments, Lion-O, Drifter, and Snarf had disappeared.

And she was standing in the middle of a field at night. Before her, gentle, sloping plains rolled, framing a small hut. From this hut, she could see smoke rising from the chimney stack, and the unmistakable sound of a hammer pounding cherry-red steel filled the night air. Two bright, full moons gave the night she stood in a nice, cheery light with which to see.

Quick as a flash, time began to accelerate. The moons fell, the sun rose, and the moons rose again. . . Rising and falling, faster and faster. Echo lost count at thirty, but even then, the sun and moons began to go even faster. All the while time is speeding by, the sounds of blacksmithing never falter, and nobody comes to visit.

Finally, the sun rose once more, and the door opened. A figure emerged from the hut, heavily cloaked in a shadowy darkness. Echo, however, couldn't help but feel that there was something decidedly familiar about that outline, but she couldn't readily be sure. The outline holds up a beautiful, golden sword, and turns it this way and that in his hands so it could catch the light.

" _You are my greatest achievement_ ," The smithy spoke, his voice so faint, she could barely hear it over the wind, " _My beautiful sword. My Sword of Hattanzo!_ "

The world underneath her quivered, and quite suddenly, the sunlight and beauty are gone. Dark clouds boiled overhead, threatening to unleash a deluge of rain, and the wind picks up, an omen of things to come. The smithy moved, standing tall, confident, and proud - oddly enough, it reminded Echo fiercely of Lion-O. She turned as she heard footsteps, and another, very familiar silhouette appeared.

The Duelist.

The clouds burst open as the two meet, and rain began to lash them all. Within moments, the pair are locked in combat, lightning and thunder flashing and crackling in the air around them.

 _It's definitely a work of art, that sword_ , Echo noted, watching as the gold blade cut through the water droplets surrounding them. The hand that wielded it was just as surely skilled as well. But as Echo watches, the Duelist continues to dance away, flitting just out of reach. . . Until, like a spider, he seized his opportunity. With a strong flick of his wrist, he disarmed the smithy.

Echo felt a sharp pang of empathy wash through her as the smithy's shoulder's slump and he takes a knee on the ground.

He'd worked so _long_ on that sword. . .

The sun began to break, just in time to play golden beams of light over the Duelist as he walked away, sheathing his beautiful new prize.

As the light illuminated the shadows, Echo reels backward as she sees the identify of the smithy.

_Drifter?_

Echo shook her head as the vision began to turn grainy and staticky. And with an almighty jolt, she found herself back in the present, thank god. Echo looked around, finding blinding sunshine and the scent of burning metal greeting her.

_Oh, thank god._

_I'm back._

Drifter and Lion-O are talking, albeit they're closer than before, and it looks as though they're having some kind of argument. A tug at her pant leg makes her look down, and she sees Snarf there, puling on her clothes nervosly.

". . . sword _you_ forged!" Lion-O yelled, "I need your help! How can I beat the Sword of Hattanzo!"

Drifter was silent.

Lion-O stalked up to the Drifter, fangs flashing as he yelled, "How can I _beat it?!_ "

Drifter straightened from the lean he'd developed, and his face morphed into one of sincere concern and weariness.

"You. _Can't!_ Understand?" He snapped, eyes narrowing as he stared at Lion-O.

He muttered something else as he walked away, brushing by Echo, and she swore it sounded suspiciously like, "Nobody can."

She frowned as Drifter walked away, and turned to Lion-O.

The lion looked at her and then straightened, smoothing out the snarl from his features.

"It's okay, Echo. I don't need any advice from him."

Echo nodded her head, but she felt uneasy. She watched Drifter walk away, disappearing behind rows of closely-knit buildings, and for some reason. . . She felt uncertain.

* * *

* * *

The time Echo dreaded is finally upon them.

An eeriness settled upon the town as silence descended. It was strange, Echo noted, that the small clearing they stood in was completely devoid of other swordsmen. She stood just off to the side, holding Snarf, and she swallowed anxiously. Beside her, Lion-O stood, tall and rigid, looking like the epitome of power. She looked up at her friend and offered a small smile.

"Win for me. Okay?"

In response, he drew Omens. The blade lengthened, and he offered it to her. Despite the seriousness of their situation, Echo gave a wry grin and lightly kissed the Eye of Thundera. Beneath her lips, Omens crackled to life and flashed.

_Help him win for me, Omens._

Then Lion-O walked out to meet the Duelist, who stood there, calm and collected.

"You're punctual. I like that." Duelist grinned, voice smug and slick.

Lion-O didn't bother to honor that with a response.

In her arms, Snarf mewled worriedly, and Echo held him tighter to her, offering a small, soothing, 'shhh.'

"Whenever you're ready." Duelist said.

"Whenever _you_ are!" Lion-O countered, voice gruff.

"Fine. Draw!"

Lion-O was the first to move, rushing forward, but his swing met empty air. Duelist had jumped into the air, and unsheathed two of his own swords. Echo wanted to turn away, fearful of the outcome, but she forced herself to watch. She had to. She knew she did. The breath caught in her throat as the Duelist danced away from Lion-O's strikes, which were quickly becoming more and more desperate. Her stomach twisted into tight knots as the Duelist began to smile.

Lion-O staggered backward, trying to put distance between them, but the Duelist lurched forward, striking against his gauntlet, catching the lion off guard. Echo watched, horrified, as she saw a strong, very familiar flick of his hand, and the blue-skinned monstrosity disarmed the lion.

Omens embeds itself into the wood above Lion-O as the king sank down to the ground, shock etched into every groove of his face. The Duelist doesn't bother to look at him as he claims his prize, and on a gust of wind that traveled through the pavilion, Echo could hear Omens screaming in defiance.

"Now, my white-haired curiosity. You can either-"

She doesn't let him finish.

Snarf jumps from her arms a moment before her hands whip up and draw her swords in record timing. Despite the dryness in her throat, she ran forward, grip tightening. She was going to _kill_ this man!

She swung forward, faster and tighter than Lion-O. Omens was a heavy sword, and her blades were lighter. She was quicker on her feet. Duelist seemed to anticipate this, for he brought his blades up to parry, and Echo grit her teeth in fury as her steel clashed with Omens. She separated from him forcibly as he smirked at her, as though he knew her thoughts.

_I will get that sword back!_

Echo launched another attack, crouching low and springing up, trying to catch him off guard - but Duelist danced out of the way again. She swiped at empty air, and then let out a surprised gasp as he twirled away, coming up from behind-

And a sword hilt hit the back of her neck.

The world turned into a terrifying mess of colors and spinning shapes, and her body began to fall, momentarily paralyzed. An arm wrapped around her waist, and a sword pressed against her neck, and Echo wheezed, trying to understand what was happening.

"Ah-ah, lion. You know the rules. She _is_ mine now. You have no right to her. . . Or do lions not honor their word?"

Echo cracked open her eyes, and there, just a few feet in front of them, Lion-O was standing, but he had no sword to hold. No weapon to challenge the Duelist with.

The man behind her laughed.

"Good kitty. Now run along now. I have to care for my blades."

Echo stumbled as the sword fell away from her neck- and a heavy collar snapped into place, instead.

Cold, icy fear trudged through her as she brought a hand up and examined the metal. A slave collar. One that was designed to-

The world became a mass of pain as electricity flowed through her, and Echo collapsed onto the dry, packed earth, clawing at the metal monstrosity around her neck. It seemed to last an eternity, and it brought back awful memories of that mummified beast, shocking her with purple lightning-

And it ended.

She laid there, her throat cracked and dry, and she felt the hot sting of tears in her eyes.

A hand seized her again and forced her up to her aching feet, but it wasn't Lion-O. It was the Duelist.

Echo wasn't even able to look behind her as he began to frog-march her, forcing her body to move. She had half a mind to tell him to lay off, that she had fought an intense battle with Mumm-Ra _just_ the day before- but the fear of the collar kept her silent. Reality began to settle in, and despite herself, a few tears crawled down her cheeks.

Lion-O lost.

_Lion-O LOST!_

A maelstrom of emotions kept flying around inside of her, but Echo forced herself to try and calm down. She was resourceful. She could figure a way out of the mess Lion-O had forced her into. She just had to think.

The Duelist led her through the town, and what few swordsmen were present wisely kept their mouths shut. But she could hear them whispering as they walked away, and that was enough to get Echo's heart pumping again. The Duelist approached a hut that, while kept up, looked widely unused. He opened the door and gave her a shove inside before closing it.

Around her, it was sparsely furnished. The only sign he was inhabiting the hut was the fire flickering in the fireplace. His hands fell on her shoulders, and he guided her to a stool framing a low-set table. Echo sat, not out of obedience, but just to alleviate the fierce burn in her muscles. She glared icily at him.

"Your attempts at swordplay were laughable," He said, a mocking grin on his face, "A child could have bested you."

 _Let's see you take on Mumm-Ra and then get into a fight the next day_.

"So, what is your name, creature?"

Silence.

"I believe I asked you a question."

More silence.

Echo jumped when Omens was impaled on the table right in front of her. She stared at the blade in surprise. She could see her reflection there, a little scuffed around the edges, her eyes red already. The Duelist moved, coming to stand right behind her.

"What is the connection you have to this sword? It responds to you. You're a part of it. Even I can see that."

"I don't know." She offered, honestly. Her throat is hoarse and her voice is rough, and the very sound of it made her wince.

A hand tangled itself into her hair painfully, and pulled her neck back. Instinctively, she tried to free herself, but that only made his grip tighter. She hissed in pain and cracked open her eyes to see the Duelist leaning down, bloody red eyes staring down into her own.

"There are ways of getting you to do what I want, _creature_ ," He said, quite calmly, into her ear, "and if you don't do what I want. . . Trouble may happen to you."

He pulled, and Echo wasn't ashamed to say she let out a small yelp of pain - but something gave on her head, and the pressure fell away. It didn't register, not at first, why her hair suddenly fell down into her face and around her shoulders in long sheets of white, but her eyes widened and she jumped up as she realized what he'd taken.

_Sunda's hairband!_

Echo watched, shock paralyzing her, as he walked over to the fire.

And without any qualms, tossed it in.

Horror coursed through her as the hairband ignited, flames licking around the delicate ribbon - and she scrambled forward to get it. _No, no, no, no!_ She fell on her knees before the fireplace, and even though the heat of the coals burned her hands, she forced herself to reach into the flames and grab at it, to try and save it.

She just barely managed to save a scrap of it before the rest turned into ashes.

"I know when things are important to people," The Duelist said, matter-of-factly, "You stroke the ends of it when you're nervous. You constantly touch it to reassure yourself it's there, and that scrap of fabric was one of the most well-kept pieces of clothing I've ever seen. So, consider its incineration punishment for ignoring me, and attempting to fight me. A word to the wise, creature: don't disobey me again."

She just. . . She just sat there.

Echo didn't even care as he walked away, footsteps fading away. She could barely even hear him.

_Sunda's memory. . ._

Echo began to cry, holding the signed, tattered remains in her burned hands. It was hardly more than a bookmark, now. She sobbed silently, entire chest heaving as she folded in on herself in an effort to keep the pain contained.

In her mind, she could see images of her once-beloved friend being devoured by flames.

* * *

* * *

She sat there, still and quiet as the grave.

The Duelist sat next to her, and currently, the pair were located right on the outside deck of a tavern. Echo let her eyes sluggishly take in a small plate of food before her - the Duelist certainly wasn't starving her, which felt kind of odd. Weren't slaves supposed to be mistreated?

 _I already was. . . Emotionally_.

She looked away from the food and back down to her hands. She's hardly in any mood to eat as it is. She could feel her journal pressing against her chest, and inside of it, Sunda's hairband was tucked neatly into the pages. She wasn't going to risk anything. Not anymore. She barely had enough to remember the cleric as it was, and now his only remaining gift to her had been nearly destroyed.

"How'd you get that hair color on her, eh?" One of the animals asked.

The Duelist chuckled.

"Quite natural, I'm afraid. I have inclinations to believe she's an albino."

Echo remained quiet and stared down at her burned and blistered skin. She was forced to sit lower than him (which, she assumed, was a way to restate the power balance between them), and he had told her that she is never to speak unless spoken to. Or given permission.

She was so depressed, she merely agreed meekly.

Firs the Book, and now Sunda's only memory?

This life was quickly setting out to kick her to pieces while she was down.

Echo watched him warily out of the corner of her eye. The Duelist had an inclination for showing off, and he was doing one such display then. Using a small dagger, he picked up a lemon and sliced the pieces. He flicked his wrist, directing them to fall into his companion's cups of tea. Hardly a drop of their leaf-infused brew splattered against the table, the demonstration was that neat.

One slice of lemon, however, fell onto the tabletop.

Cut neatly into quarters.

"You might recognize the craftsmanship."

She flicked her eyes up.

 _Lion-O_.

A rush of hope washed through her, and she looked up through a curtain of white hair. Her cheeks were tearstained, and she hadn't been able to stop herself from crying since that moment in the hut.

"Echo! Are you okay? What happened?" He asked, alarm on his face.

She smiled brokenly at him, "I-"

A sword tip, aimed at her side, quickly cut her off. She fell silent, mind flickering with images of cinders and the remnants of a hairband.

"Remember my warning, _Echo_. . . And that sword is impossible. It's a fake - he hasn't made a sword in years."

"I came out of retirement," Drifter said, emerging from an adjacent hallway and leaning against the wall, "I didn't have much to do today, anyway."

"I challenge you to a rematch," Lion-O issued, "but this time, for _all_ your swords."

"That's quite a request from somehow who only has a single sword to offer in return. In addition to your blade, you must also put up your life."

Without a beat of hesitation, Lion-O affirmed, "Deal."

He looked at her, confidence in his eyes, a tiny, reassuring smile on his lips.

 _Don't worry_ , he seemed to try to communicate, _I promise I'll make this right._

The Duelist stood, grabbing her arm and forcing her to do the same. He walks her back out into the same pavilion that Lion-O had lost in ( _hadn't even realized. . ._ ). Echo stood beside the Duelist as he went about finishing adjusting his gloves. Across the way, Lion-O leveled a fierce glare on him.

"If you've hurt her, so help me-"

"Relax, lion," The Duelist said, interrupting him, "I merely taught her her place in this world. Now come. Bless this sword for me."

He drew Omens and held it out in front of him. It's wrong. It felt so wrong. Omens didn't belong in those hands. Echo stared, hesitating, eyes flickering before Lion-O and the Duelist.

But. . .

The threat of the collar, and the ember of Sunda's hairband presses against her chest.

She wasn't want the rest of Sunda's hairband to burn.

She leaned forward and gave it a feather light peck, but it was all Omens needed. The Eye flashed, and the Duelist grinned.

With a flourish, he sheathed the sword, and Echo heard Lion-O growl. _He just did it to make you angry, please don't let that cloud your judgement._

And then, suddenly, the duel is on.

She doesn't watch. She can't. She doesn't hear half of what they're saying. She just kept staring down at the dirt below her feet, and she apologized. Over and over again. To Lion-O. To Omens. . . And especially to Sunda.

"Now, Missy, that's not a face a pretty girl like you should be making."

She craned her neck back and saw Drifter standing right in front of her, an easy smile on his face.

"Hattanzo." She said numbly.

"Aw, Missy, c'mon. Let's cheer you up - after all. . . You're free now."

The roar of the crowd split the air a moment later, and she jumped, startled. She whirled around, looking for the victor - and found Lion-O, proudly standing. A rush of lightness wove through her, and Echo breathed a heavy sigh of relief she hadn't known she'd been holding. She is. She's free.

_Free!_

"Let's get that collar off you, Missy!"

"But how?" She asked, turning back to Drifter.

The rabbit smiled as he picked out the willow swatch in his teeth, and with a light tap, hit it against the collar on her neck. Miraculously, she heard something inside of it snap, and in another moment, it fell off of her neck with a noisy clatter. A surge of adrenaline pulsed inside of her, and another reality began to set in.

She.

Was.

Free!

Lion-O was walking to her, she could hear his distinctive footsteps. She turned, a relieved smile on her face, and took a step forward of her own. And then another, and before she knew it, she'd launched herself into his arms and wrapped him up in the tightest hug she could manage.

His arms wrapped around her too, and he held her.

"It's okay. I'm here now, it's alright."

Echo shivered, glad for the nightmare to finally be over. Lion-O had come back for her. And he'd _won_.

"Thank you." She murmured against his breastplate. Echo held him, refusing to let go, content to just hold him. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a frightened little bird, but she loved it. She really did.

That was, until, a pair of arms roughly shoved them aside.

Lion-O shifted, rolling with it, tucking Echo squarely behind him to protect her, and she watched a confusing blur of movements as Hattanzo lurched forward, willow swatch in his hands, and a small dagger hitting the dry earth beside them.

"You've had your last duel. Begone!"

Lion-O straightened up from the semi-crouch he'd fallen into.

Echo smiled as she leaned against his back, and she closed her eyes.

The world and time slipped away from her, though she vaguely recalled walking through the city with Lion-O and Hattanzo. Somewhere along the exchange, the rabbit had given her her swords back, and Lion-O had secured the harness on her. She didn't mind it - being a little coddled. She felt like spun glass after the last two days.

The sun was setting as they left the town gates, and Hattanzo stood before them, the Duelist's gaudy scabbard upon his back.

"Thank you," Lion-O said to the Drifter, "For everything."

"No, Lion-O. Thank _you_. I haven't felt this alive in years. I finally have a purpose again - returning these swords to their rightful owners."

Echo watched as he turned off, walking away into the sunset.

_Like some picturesque movie._

They wave goodbye, even though he can't see them, and begin to set off themselves.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Lion-O asked, voice calm and collected.

If she said yes, Echo knew, a tempest would be unleashed. Probably the likes of something she'd never seen before, to boot.

"No," She replied, "It looks worse than it is."

Her neck had bruised, but she'd just flipped up the collar of her shirt a little more, intent on hiding them from the rest of the Cats. Lion-O had bought her a salve for her hands, and it was working wonders. Imbued with magic, the blisters were already disappearing. They'd likely be gone by the time they got back.

As they're walking, Lion-O grabbed her arm.

"Close your eyes." He said, gently.

Echo was confused, but she did.

She felt Lion-O come to stand around behind her, and another moment later, her hair was swept back, and she heard something being tied. She opened her eyes with a snap and stared at the end of the new ribbon dangling from her hair. Another hair band. A different one. It's not the same, but. . .

"I can only assume what happened. . . I'm sorry, Echo. I really arm. I shouldn't have agreed to it in the first place."

Despite. . . Despite everything that had happened over the course of two days, when she looked at her friend, she knew that. . . Everything was going to be okay. So what if she couldn't use the Book? That Lion-O had managed to go on some journey alone?

That Sunda's ribbon had been nearly destroyed?

She was still there. She'd survived. And she was going to keep surviving.

She shook her head and smiled gently.

"It's alright. . . What's done is done. I'm just glad we're both here."

They began to walk again, and a comfortable pause spreads between them.

Echo looked at Lion-O out of the corner of her eye.

"So. . . Want to tell me about what you saw? In the Book?"

His expression lit up, and within moments, Lion-O launched into a very detailed, very thorough recounting of just what the Book had shown him. Echo listened, delighted and depressed at the same time, but it meant a lot to Lion-O. Which meant it should mean a very great deal to her.

_I promised to stay until the end. So I will._

Time slipped away from her again, and before they knew it, the Thundertank was looming into view, the Cats scattered around it.

"What in the _name_ of Thundera _took_ you so _blasted_ long?" Panthro growled.

Echo smiled. She couldn't believe she welcomed the snappy sound of that grumpy panther.

"I was, uhm. . . Uh. . ." Lion-O stuttered.

"Off enjoying the breeze while _we_ do all the hard work." Tygra reprimanded.

Yup.

She missed that.

 _Don't worry_ , she though to Lion-O, shooting him a secret look _, I'll get you out of this_.

"Something like that." She replied, stepping forward.


End file.
